Trish
02-13-2008, 11:13 AM
Feb. 12, 2008, 11:12PM
Senate approves expanding government's spy powers
Immunity for eavesdropping would be given to phone companies
By ERIC LICHTBLAU
New York Times
Senators defend controversial wiretapping bill
WASHINGTON — After more than a year of heated political wrangling, the Senate handed the White House a major victory Tuesday by voting to broaden the government's spy powers and to give legal protection to phone companies that cooperated in President Bush's warrantless eavesdropping program.
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 debate that preceded it.
The two sides had battled to balance civil liberties with the need to conduct surveillance on potential adversaries.
At issue is the government's post-9/11 Terrorist Surveillance Program, which circumvented a secret court created 30 years ago to oversee such activities.
The court was part of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a law written in response to government abuse of its surveillance authority against Americans.
The Senate rejected a series of amendments that would have restricted the government's surveillance powers and eliminated immunity for the phone carriers.
The House has already rejected the idea of immunity for the phone companies, and Democratic leaders reacted angrily to the Senate vote. But congressional officials said it appeared that the House would ultimately be forced to accept some sort of legal protection for the phone carriers in negotiations between the two chambers this week.
With resistance led by Democratic Sens. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, critics of the administration's plan argued that it effectively rewarded phone companies by providing them with legal insulation for actions that violated long-standing law and their own fiduciary responsibilities to their customers. Immunity would protect the phone companies from some 40 lawsuits now pending that charge the firms broke the law by taking part in the program.
But supporters of the plan said the phone carriers acted out of patriotism after the Sept. 11 attacks in complying with what they believed was a legally binding order from the president.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/nation/5536683.html
Senate approves expanding government's spy powers
Immunity for eavesdropping would be given to phone companies
By ERIC LICHTBLAU
New York Times
Senators defend controversial wiretapping bill
WASHINGTON — After more than a year of heated political wrangling, the Senate handed the White House a major victory Tuesday by voting to broaden the government's spy powers and to give legal protection to phone companies that cooperated in President Bush's warrantless eavesdropping program.
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 debate that preceded it.
The two sides had battled to balance civil liberties with the need to conduct surveillance on potential adversaries.
At issue is the government's post-9/11 Terrorist Surveillance Program, which circumvented a secret court created 30 years ago to oversee such activities.
The court was part of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a law written in response to government abuse of its surveillance authority against Americans.
The Senate rejected a series of amendments that would have restricted the government's surveillance powers and eliminated immunity for the phone carriers.
The House has already rejected the idea of immunity for the phone companies, and Democratic leaders reacted angrily to the Senate vote. But congressional officials said it appeared that the House would ultimately be forced to accept some sort of legal protection for the phone carriers in negotiations between the two chambers this week.
With resistance led by Democratic Sens. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, critics of the administration's plan argued that it effectively rewarded phone companies by providing them with legal insulation for actions that violated long-standing law and their own fiduciary responsibilities to their customers. Immunity would protect the phone companies from some 40 lawsuits now pending that charge the firms broke the law by taking part in the program.
But supporters of the plan said the phone carriers acted out of patriotism after the Sept. 11 attacks in complying with what they believed was a legally binding order from the president.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/nation/5536683.html