Reid Issues Ultimatum: More Time Or No Wiretaps

At a State of the Union preview speech today at the National Press Club, Majority Leader Harry Reid issued a dramatic ultimatum to President Bush: either sign an extension of the Protect America Act (which sets conditions for the administration's warrantless surveillance) or "there will be no wiretapping."

"It's up to the president," Reid announced during a question and answer session. "Does he want the law? It's up to him." Reid said Bush needs to sign the extension to give more time for the Senate to reach a compromise on a new bill. Senate Republicans this week obstructed every effort for amendments to be made to the pending FISA legislation.

"If it fails, he can give all the speeches he wants, including the State of the Union, about how we've stopped things," Reid said. "If he does that, it's disingenuous, and it's not true."

Watch it (transcripts below):

Reid also blasted Senate Republicans for seeking to block a temporary extension of the current FISA law to allow for further debate.

Full transcript:

The president has to make a decision. He's either going to extend the law, or he will...which is temporary in nature, or there will be no wiretapping.

Story continues below

advertisement

We have worked very hard to try to come up with a way to proceed on this but it's up to the President.

The amendments that were offered in the Senate ... they would have passed. The majority of the senate favored these amendments.

They refused to allow us to vote on what we call "Title 1' which is a procedural aspect of this, and then they never even dreamed of our going to the second part, which is the retroactive immunity. Which is...there is real controversy over that and there should be a vote in the United States Senate as to whether or not there should be retroactive immunity. They won't give us one.

So again, it's up to the president. He can either continue the present law for an extended period of time, we would agree to two weeks, we would agree to a month, and we would agree to a longer period of time than that.

But it is up to the president. Does he want the law? It's up to him.

If it fails, he can give all the speeches he wants, including the State of the Union, about how we've stopped things, if he does that, it's disingenuous, and it's not true.

Comments

[hugs4u]

The democrats need to replace Reid before he backs down again like he did about funding the war.
Chris Dodds filibuster needs to happen.

[FogBelter]

Let the Protect America Act die and take it up with the next Congress.


It's not like there are really any terrorists trying to get us ... There has been absolutely nothing preventing America from being attacked since 9/11 other than the Terrorists not being interested in doing so. We have zero meaningful border security. We have zero improvement on screening Shipping Containers. TSA constantly fails its testing when it comes to sneaking weapons on board planes. News crews have driven through unguarded, unlocked gates at power plants. Our own Law Enforcement Agencies state the most successful type of terrorism currently in use, suicide bombers and car bombs, are almost impossible to defend against. We have 22 million Illegal Aliens within America's borders.


The Federal Government doesn't need warrantless wiretapping unless their goal is to spy on the American people ... not terrorists.


So Harry, let the Protect America Act die and have the next, hopefully more responsible, Presidential Administration take up the issue.

[TommyMcCarthy]

I'm not sure I've ever seen "Harry Reid" and "ultimatum in the same sentence. (Well, not one that I believed anyway)...­.........t­m

[kevenseven]

BREAKING NEWS!

There IS hope! From Greenwald at Salon:

UPDATE V: There was some significant, and apparently unexpected, obstructionism on the part of Republicans this afternoon, whereby they blocked votes on any of the pending amendments and then filed a Motion for Cloture (i.e., to force a vote on the Senate Intelligence Committee bill as is), the vote on which will occur on Monday at 4:30 p.m. Supposedly, the obstructionism angered Reid and other Democrats and now Reid will not only support Dodd's filibuster but urge his caucus to do so as well.

I'm still trying to understand exactly what occurred procedurally and what the implications are, but for now, both Marcy Wheeler and McJoan have good explanations. The essence is that 36 Democrats already voted against the SIC bill (and in favor of the Judiciary Committee bill). To sustain a filibuster, they need 41 Senators who refuse to vote for cloture -- meaning they would need to convert 3 Democrats who voted for the SIC bill, plus Obama and Clinton (who are scheduled to be in DC on Monday for the State of the Union address). This is where Obama and Clinton's leadership could really make a genuine difference. More on this later.

UPDATE VI: Tim Tagaris, recently of the Dodd campaign, has much more analysis and information about what occurred today.

There were three embedded links in the text:

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/24/what-ever-happened-to-upperdown-votes/

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/1/24/18101/4412/844/442586

http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3410

Act NOW or don't come on this board pissing about the Dems caving again! We only need to turn three votes.

Send a petition to Obama and Clinton at:

http://act.credomobile.com/campaign/wiretapping08

[abbiehoffmansghost]

Reid Offers Ultimatum: I'm Warning You, I'll Hold My Breath Until I Turn Blue.

[forpeace]

*

"Reid announced during a question and answer session. "Does Bush want the law?"

NO Harry Bush has been going Opposite direction of LAW for past 7+ years!

*

[EyeWantOneNation]

I received an "interesting email from the PEN (People's Email Network) today:

"Yesterday Harry Reid again brought forward the version of the FISA
bill containing a provision for telecom immunity for their criminal
complicity in illegal wiretaps of American citizens. Sure we need to
win another filibuster, but we also need a stronger message. Reid
must go.

What part of exercising power doesn't Harry Reid get? The Washington
Post reports him "pleading" with the White House. And yet, it is his
decision which version of the FISA bill to have the Senate consider,
and by choosing to bring forward the bad one, he is knowingly forcing
opponents of yet another "get out of jail free card" for Cheney
cronies to get 60 votes to strip it out of the bill. Or filibuster
yet again.

Step Down Harry Action Page:
http://www.usalone.com/step_down_harry.php (anyone can use this link)

Facebook Version:
http://apps.facebook.com/fb_voices/action.php?qnum=pnum784 (for this
link must be a member of Facebook and logged in)

This is the last straw. Time and again he has abdicated his
leadership, claiming he is "personally" opposed to things, while
collaborating to stack the deck in favor of the other side of the
policy issue. Reid has got to go."

[outnow]

Reid ultimatum. He could have done this before now. Just say, "No!"

[OleHippieChick]

When the telcos shut down the spying for nonpayment of bills, all bets should have been off. DC rubes.

[nightslider]

NEVER NEVER trust Reid the Liar, he's trying to signal the president that he cant over ride Dodds exceptions to the current plan to exonerate the phone company's Laissez Fair attitudes towards providing unfettered access to their networks to eves drop on the American people.

Pelosie and Reid should both be replaced as ineffectual leaders of their respective house's.

Both have sold out to this presiden.

[tiredoftheBS]

I must finally applaud senate dems, especially Reid for showing some spine. This is the way we who voted this current majority expect you to behave!

[LastDaysCafe]

Hey don't strain yourself!

Bravo for your courageous stand Harry Reid but don't go overboard with it alright - because we wouldn't want you or any of pals in Washington to suddenly put your magnificent integrities under any kind of undue strain!

[LORISNJ]

Now, now all you Reid bashers, I know that Reid has been a bad boy in the past, but when he does or says something good we need to reward him - positive reinforcement.

Why don't we all send him a bag of nuts - big ones like walnuts or better yet coconuts. He will get the message.

[JTyroler]

Actions speak louder than words.

[peskyliberal]

How did Reid get the votes to become Senate leaders? Does he have dirt on the other Dems? Seriously, what gives.