'08 Dems Pressure Reid Over Wiretap Law

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is under sharp new pressure to bring forward surveillance legislation that would block the Bush administration's warrantless spying program.

All of the Democratic Senators running for president -- Biden, Clinton, Dodd, Obama -- as well as Sens. Russ Feingold, Barbara Boxer, Edward Kennedy and others, have written Reid pressing him to take up the surveillance bill passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Reid has said he plans to take up different legislation passed by the Senate Intelligence Committee. Unlike the Judiciary bill, the Intelligence Committee legislation permits the administration to collect all communications coming in or out of the United States without a warrant. The Intelligence Committee bill also includes legal immunity for telecom firms that have participated in warrantless surveillance of Americans.

From the letter:

We also believe that the Judiciary Committee bill is preferable because it does not provide immunity for telecom companies that allegedly cooperated with the administration's warrantless wiretapping program. As this is such a controversial issue, we feel it would be appropriate to require the proponents of immunity to make their case on the floor.

Important to note that this doesn't actually rule out the possibility of retroactive immunity, merely that immunity will be determined without a Senate-wide debate.

The full list of signatories on the letter to Reid: Russ Feingold (D-WI), Chris Dodd (D-CT), Barack Obama (D-IL), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Joe Biden (D-DE), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Jim Webb (D-VA), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), and Barbara Boxer (D-CA).

The text is below:

Dear Majority Leader Reid:

We understand that the Senate will shortly be considering amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. As you know, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Judiciary Committee have reported very different version of the FISA Amendments act, S. 2248, and it is up to you, as Majority Leader, to decide how the Senate considers this legislation.

We urge you to make the version of S. 2248 reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee the base bill to be considered by the full Senate. While the structure of Title I of both bills is the same, and both make improvements over the Protect America Act, the reasonable changes to Title I made in the Judiciary Committee ensure that the FISA Court will be able to conduct much-needed oversight of the implementation of these broad new surveillance authorities, and help to better protect the rights of innocent Americans. While we appreciate the hard work that the Intelligence Committee has done on this legislation, the process by which the Judiciary Committee considered drafted, amended and reported out its bill was an open one, allowing outside expert and the public at large the opportunity to review and comment. With regard to legislation so directly connected to the constitutional rights of Americans, the results of this open process should be accorded great weight, especially in light of the Judiciary Committee's unique role and expertise in protecting those rights.

We also believe that the Judiciary Committee bill is preferable because it does not provide immunity for telecom companies that allegedly cooperated with the administration's warrantless wiretapping program. As this is such a controversial issue, we feel it would be appropriate to require the proponents of immunity to make their case on the floor.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Russell Feingold
Christopher Dodd
Barack Obama
Robert Menendez
Sherrod Brown
Bernard Sanders
Benjamin Cardin
Daniel Akata
Edward Kennedy
Bernard Sanders
Joseph Biden
Tom Harkin
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Jim Webb
Barbara Boxer

Comments

[dantanna]

democrats deserve to lose for betraying the trust of those who voted for them. again and again they give in to the will of the president, republicans in congress and big corporations. i'd say warterboard peolosi and reid and get rid of them.

[leftLibertarian]

Hey Dumbocrats:

Here's a bit of advice - get rid of your useless piece of shyte leaders like Pelosi and Reid.

[milo9]

In principle, there is no difference between destroying incriminating tapes and granting immunity to telecoms. Both undermine the rule of law and God willing, Harry Reid will rue the day.

[Counterglow]

Would somebody please tell me what Harry Reid looks like when he's not on his knees? If he were in a men's room, I'd swear he was a Republican.

[kroses98]

A concerted effort must be made to the constituents of Reid and Pelosi, to get them to vote these TRAITORS out of office! That problem will be solved!!!

[nunzia]

And, why is Reid, perhaps the lousiest speaker in the Senate, Majority Leader?. Can't they prevail upon him to give that up, shut up, move over or sit down and let someone speak for the Dems who can use inflection, enunciation, emotion, power, wit and general oratorical skills. He is so tentative, unsure, whispery, uncertain and unconvincing. Ugh.

[gcallaghan]

It sickens me to see how docilely this administration laid down like bitches when OBL attacked us. They let him get away, shit on the constitution and looted the treasury, just like Osama ordered.
Fuck the Cheneyites and impeach the retarded codpieceboy NOW

[Lemeritus]

Notably missing from the anti-immunity proponents is Dianne Feinstein.

[texanna]

I really would like to see or hear the goods that Darth has on Reid and Pelosi -- it must be REALLY good! 'Cause if they're not being blackmailed, then they are just criminal with no mitigating circumstances. I also wonder if these people are aware that just about everyone outside the Beltway thinks they are worthless and not doing their job? Or, do they live in the same bubble of self-delusion that Shrub lives in? I really thought they at least read a newspaper or two every now and then. If Reid allows the telecoms to have retroactive immunity, he should be kicked out immediately and I would expect the signers of the letter to push for that to happen.

[rollingdivision]

Right or wrong, when the executive branch makes their best interpretation of the law they need to have the cooperation of individuals, groups, businesses and other organizations to successfully implement the law. Once the executive branch has determined policy based on the law it should not be a responsibility of all those who may have to assist in some way to develop their own legal basis. To require everyone to do so would effectively stop law enforcement. Additionally, to expect those who might have to assist to develop a legal basis for their actions and to hold them both criminally and civilly liable for the future rulings on the areas of that law which are being debated will effectively prevent any cooperation by individuals, groups, businesses and organizations. This would stop investigations and put the US under greater risk. Those who in good faith cooperate with the federal government must be held harmless from liability both criminal and civil or the government will not be able to effectively enforce the law. So, yes it is in the best interests of the US to grant immunity.

[hmmmmmer]

These Dem leaders in congress have no balls to stop Bush. It is embarassing as to the way they have let the Republicans and Bush walk all over them. They just don't get it.

[Tellmethetruth]

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[Liam]

Can someone please explain to me what possible interests of the country are served by conveying a retroactive blanket immunity for a behavior we don't even know the details of yet?

Look at what happened when Blackwater was given blanket immunity in Iraq: We have cases of Blackwater teams taking pot shots at random people, more or less with the same mind set that a hunter fires at a deer, but with less intent to consume the meat afterwards.

You might convince me that specific, targeted immunity might be warranted in certain extreme circumstances. But what do we do if, after granting this blanket immunity, we learn that the transgressions against our citizenry and our laws are greater than currently believed? There will no longer be any way to hold anyone accountable.

If the Dem's pass this law, it will just prove the point I've been trying to make for years now: It's time to get rid of the two-corrupt-party system by having recount elections and requiring the winner to win with a majority of the votes cast.

Is there anyone, in either party, who actually cares about serving the public they're supposed to be serving, instead of playing cheap political games?

Maybe Ron Paul. Maybe Dennis Kucinich. And there are a couple of Senators (Hagel and Feingold, perhaps). But not too terribly many others that I can see.

Liam.

[TNFarmer]

Nice letter. Wish it had a P.S. Harry, please submit your letter of resignation as Majority Leader so we can get someone that'll actually fight for the will of the public.

[loki]

You could tar and feather Reid and Pelosi, they would still kiss Bush's behind. I dont really fall for the letter either, its probably part of some kind of sick inside joke going around about how much they scammed the voters. Demorats that I will admit to voting for, have lied to all of us. We are truly a country of people without representation. Its like a dictatorship, but they are still working hard to give the appearance of a democracy, which we never were to begin with, were a republic. But thats another little fact thats tossed out the window now.