House GOP walks out

[triplehorn]

A high stakes game of chicken is unfolding on the steps on the Capitol today.

Majority House Dems are bringing a vote on contempt citations for Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten for their failure to appear in response to Congressional subpoenas in the US Attorney scandal. Bush is having a fit because his current FISA program is set to expire tomorrow without renewal. The FISA vote won't occur until the contempt citations are dealt with, which is why the Republicans are brown bagging it outside on the steps.

Bush did his best fear mongering act this morning trying to scare everyone into passing the FISA bill before the current one expires. He's citing that expiration puts our nation at immediate risk.

The hitch is, Bush will veto any FISA bill that does not retroactively protect telcos from litigation for breaking the law.

In other words, Bush is willing to endanger Americans in order to protect the telecoms.

The Link

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[Mr.Wizard]

Chicken shits, run and hide.

 

[Horn6721]

" In other words, Bush is willing to endanger Americans in order to protect the telecoms. "

slow down there with the bashing. do some research
Before Bush can endanger America the House has to pass a bill
then the Senate and the House have to reconcile their bills to one *(the Senate's bill included telco protection) and send to the President

so Point of fact using your words unless the House passes a bill and then refuses to work with the Senate the House is endangering America

 

[Mr.Wizard]

I am just getting my revenge for people bashing the Tx Dems who ran back in the day.

COWARD GOP!!!!!

 

[TahoeHorn]

If Obama were President would Congress be one big happy family? If so, how would the provision read?

I find it difficult to believe the Rs would be happy if Obama were Prez.

 

[triplehorn]

That was brief. Criminal contempt citations are now done:

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[Ag with kids]

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[Eastwood22]

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[naked_bongo]

Obstructionists.

 

[NameAlreadyInUse]

I guess Repubs aren't really in favor of "an up or down vote."

Color me nonplussed.

 

[Tyler Durden]

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[triplehorn]

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[LonghornLawyer]

What reason is that?

 

[bozo_casanova]

pfft- been done.
What's next, "Sit down bus driver"?

 

[DeadHorse]

They should have walked out yesterday instead of wasting their time investigating baseball and I don't think they should be helping the Senate investigate football.

I'm glad they have the other weighty issues of the day fixed....

 

[softlynow]

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[Sneezy]

Yes seriously. If they wanted to - they could've gotten warrants retroactively. All they needed was a probable cause showing after the fact. In your hypo - obviously that wouldn't be an issue.

Those of us who love liberty want the government to refrain from engaging in warrantless wiretaps with no probable cause. Get a warrant and we won't have a problem.

 

[MaduroUTMB]

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[triplehorn]

softlynow - regarding my comment: In reply to:

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[softlynow]

That is at least "reason to believe." One would think he'd have evidence if he thinks he has a chance on appeal. I guess we'll find out.

 

[SubliminalHorn]

11 more months...just 11 more months

 

[LurkerintheDark]

God created the world in just seven days.

Bush ain't God, but he thinks he is.
He can do a lot of damage in eleven months.

 

[BernOrange]

McCain supports the Bush version of the FISA bill. He also supports the Patriot Act and every other big brother Homeland Security measure that has been put forward.
To his credit, Obama voted to remove the telecom immunity, but he supports the Real ID act in principle (just not the unfunded mandate the current legislation offers). He also voted to extend the Patriot Act in spite of objecting to it's overreach on civil liberties.

Ron Paul is the only candidate who is truly looking out for our civil liberties IMO.

 

[triplehorn]

softlynow - The point you probably understand which I did not directly make by extentsion is that from what we know about the projects Qwest turned down worth hundreds of millions of dollars, others very well may have accepted on 'the word' of Bush/Cheney despite any concern that the warrantless information gathering on Americans was in violation of federal law.

The telco retroactive immunity Bush so desperately demands in the FISA legislation would bury any legal discovery of that wrongdoing.

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[softlynow]

The Dems should run out the clock on this, and get their own guy/gal at Justice to go hard after those who got the telecoms to do this. Use the immunity to each company to get them to talk. If something was illegal, I don't really care about getting those in the private sector, its the government officials we have to worry about. If the law was broken, and the strong desire for retroactive immunity is enough smoke to warrant a full-scale investigation, we cannot let it go unpunished.

We should all hope that the next time we have a major national security crisis that one party isn't in control of both chambers of Congress and the WH. That recipe sucked.

 

[Horn6721]

Triple
you omitted some important information. not the least of which is on Feb 27,2001 Bush would have been in offices 35 days.
But HERE are crucial FACTS you left out
:"However, in February 2001, the NSA's primary purpose in seeking access to Qwest's network apparently was not to search for terrorists but to watch for computer hackers and foreign-government forces trying to penetrate and compromise U.S. government information systems, particularly within the Defense Department, sources said. Government officials have long feared a "digital Pearl Harbor" if intruders were to seize control of these systems or other key U.S. infrastructures through the Internet.
Qwest's first high-level contact with the NSA may have occurred as early as 1997"
The Director of the NSA Feb 2001 had been the Director since 1999
Haters will still want to believe that Bush in office about a month gave orders to the NSA for this.

 

[triplehorn]

6721 - The telcoms are involved in many different programs and likely have multiple interfaces with the government. What you are referencing may well be true, but your inclusion of it by no means proves the absence of illegal programs that have yet be illuminated. I hope that becomjes clear to you.

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[TahoeHorn]

Leaving the black helicopters in the hangers for a moment, let's think about how requests for information to telcos work in practice. I'm going to guess that the NSA doesn't have in mind some process where the telco gets to assemble a team of lawyers and go over the relevant facts and make sure that everything is in order before complying with the NSA's request. They are going to want the telco to jump when they say rabbit or, even more likely, not be part of any approval process. If I'm the telco my position would be that I want immunity if that's the deal. I think it's a sensible request. The alternative I would guess is to get warrants. In any case I see no reason why a telco should be a player in this squabble. If one part of the government is breaking the law another part should investigate and prosecute. I think it's chicken **** to try to make telcos a pawn in this.

 

[bigNlongHorn]

Dare we hope?

Could House Democrats finally be ignoring his fear-mongering on terrorism and national security and be standing up to the President on the surveillance bill?

Is it too much to hope for?

--David Kurtz

 

[triplehorn]

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