President Bush To Congress: Pass Wiretapping Law
President George W. Bush, held a brief conference Thursday, telling congress that they need to pass the new surveillance bill. This has been an ongoing silent battle in the House and Senate for quite some time. The Senate passed the bill earlier this week. It gives the telecommunications companies that cooperate with the government immunity from lawsuits. This is an iffy proposal at best that walks a fine line on the constitution, that some say it crosses.
WASHINGTON - President Bush pressured the House on Wednesday to pass new rules for monitoring terrorists’ communications, saying “terrorists are planning new attacks on our country … that will make Sept. 11 pale by comparison.”
Bush said he would not agree to giving the House more time to debate a measure the Senate passed Tuesday governing the government’s ability to work with telecommunications companies to eavesdrop on phone calls and e-mails between suspected terrorists. The bill gives phone companies retroactive protection from lawsuits filed on the basis of cooperation they gave the government without court permission — something Bush insisted was included in the bill.
About 40 lawsuits have been filed against telecom companies by people alleging violations of wiretapping and privacy laws. The House did not include the immunity provision in a similar bill it passed last year.
“In order to be able to discover … the enemy’s plans, we need the cooperation of telecommunication companies,” Bush said. “If these companies are subjected to lawsuits that could cost them billions of dollars, they won’t participate. They won’t help us. They won’t help protect America.”
The 68-29 Senate vote Tuesday to update the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act belied the nearly two months of stops and starts and bitter political wrangling that preceded it. The two sides had battled to balance civil liberties with the need to conduct surveillance on potential adversaries.
Bush said the Senate bill was passed with wide, bipartisan support and the House should pass it too — before the current law expires at midnight on Saturday.
“Congress has had over six months to discuss and deliberate,” said Bush, who stood alongside Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell. “The time for debate is over. I will not accept any temporary extension. They have already been given a two-week extension.”
Source: MSNBC
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