A quick, temporary climb-down as the February 1 expiration proved too tough to meet, procedurally. The White House indicates President Bush will sign the measure.
The National Review editorialized on the issue today.
Americans want security from mass-murderers. FISA reform will increase our security, while aligning the responsibilities of different parts of our government with their capacities. Congress should enact that reform — permanently.
The fight over telecom immunity is really about the political power of the trial attorneys and their campaign contributions, the editors argue.
January 30th, 2008 on 6:17 pm
In August, Congress updated the FISA laws but demanded a sunset to these provisions. The original FISA legislation has been updated many times in the past to keep pace with changes in technology from when the law was first drafted in 1978. Without these latest legislative changes, though, our intelligence agencies lose their ability to keep up with technology advances in the high-stakes, fast-paced field of terrorist surveillance. It is really that simple.