Dems, As Always, Ready To Cave Again

Goddamn It, this is getting really old, frustrating and tiresome

I thought the Democratic leadership was going to hold W accountable for the misery and damage him and his vile supporters and political operatives

And yet, here we go again, Nancy Pelosi is going to hold W's feet to the righteous fire by trashing our Constitution

Does the House leadership ever actually intend to uphold and defend the US Constitution?

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Democratic Concessions Are Expected on Wiretapping

Two months after vowing to roll back broad new wiretapping powers won by the Bush administration, Congressional Democrats appear ready to make concessions that could extend some of the key powers granted to the National Security Agency.

Bush administration officials say they are confident they will win approval of the broadened wiretapping authority that they secured temporarily in August as Congress rushed toward recess, and some Democratic officials admit that they may not come up with the votes to rein in the administration.

Hey Nancy, here's an idea,

DON'T ALLOW THIS LEGISLATION TO THE FLOOR FOR A VOTE

Is there some logical reason that this massively despised President is still able to get whatever the Hell he wants from the opposition, which is allegedly in charge of the Congress now?

Well, actually, yes, that severe lack of a spine once again enters into the Democratic leadership's attempts to teach W a lesson

As the debate over the N.S.A.’s wiretapping powers begins anew this week, the emerging legislation reflects the political reality confronting the Democrats. While they are willing to oppose the White House on the conduct of the war in Iraq, they remain nervous that they will be labeled as soft on terrorism if they insist on strict curbs on intelligence gathering.

If these cowards getting ready to roll over for W yet again can't stand up to him in this case, why should anyone think they can EVER stand up, for us, our country and our Constitution?

The Dems were NOT elected to just do whatever the fuck W wants, but that's sure been their operating philosophy since taking control of Congress earlier this year

Lets review

There are more US troops in Iraq now than there were when the GOP ran everything

The Dems voted to give increased powers to warrantlessly spy on us to Alberto Gonzales-of ALL people-before leaving on their August break

And that power also accrues to that lying ratbastard DNI Mike McConnell

How are the Dems NOT insisting that McConnell be bounced out of his job for outright lying to them, repeatedly, since becoming DNI?

It's absolutely infuriating, and it makes NO political sense whatsoever, unless the aim is for the Democratic President to enjoy these powers as well

And funny, I thought the Dems were going to really raise Hell and force major changes in the FISA gutting, at least thats what they said when the caved in August, but here we go again with the absolutely worthless rhetoric that's now been completely debunked

As Congress takes up the new legislation, a senior Democratic aide said House leaders are working hard to make sure the administration does not succeed in pushing through a bill that would make permanent all the powers it secured in August for the N.S.A. "That’s what we’re trying to avoid," the aide said. "We have that concern too."

Perhaps Pelosi hasn't figured out that they don't have to "try to avoid" this crap, she doesn't have to let this bill to the floor for a vote in the first place, she has it in her power to let this legislation die without offering any replacements

"We are giving the N.S.A. what it legitimately needs for national security but with far more limitations and protections than are in the Protect America Act," said Brendan Daly, a spokesman for Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California.

No Nancy, you're sticking up for W's right to use our Constitution as toilet paper, and you're offering to do the nasty work so he doesn't have to get his hands dirty in the process

The Dems are pushing the "we won't allow retroactive immunity for the telecoms" meme, but as the party has caved in for W since taking the Congress, why should anyone trust that claim in the least?

Perhaps a quick refresher is in order, as to why this Administration cannot be trusted to ever do the right thing

Concerns Raised on Wider Spying Under New Law

In particular, this

Broad new surveillance powers approved by Congress this month could allow the Bush administration to conduct spy operations that go well beyond wiretapping to include — without court approval — certain types of physical searches on American soil and the collection of Americans’ business records, Democratic Congressional officials and other experts said.

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These new powers include the collection of business records, physical searches and so-called "trap and trace" operations, analyzing specific calling patterns.

For instance, the legislation would allow the government, under certain circumstances, to demand the business records of an American in Chicago without a warrant if it asserts that the search concerns its surveillance of a person who is in Paris, experts said.

***************

Some civil rights advocates said they suspected that the administration made the language of the bill intentionally vague to allow it even broader discretion over wiretapping decisions. Whether intentional or not, the end result — according to top Democratic aides and other experts on national security law — is that the legislation may grant the government the right to collect a range of information on American citizens inside the United States without warrants, as long as the administration asserts that the spying concerns the monitoring of a person believed to be overseas.

In effect, they say, the legislation significantly relaxes the restrictions on how the government can conduct spying operations aimed at foreigners at the same time that it allows authorities to sweep up information about Americans.

Does anyone really expect this Administration to use these expanded powers to try and stop terrorists, or is it far more likely they'll use this law to warrantlessly spy on purely domestic communications and political critics?

Make no mistake, this Administration will claim that a person in the US isn't the chief target of the spying, which will then negate the need for a search warrant, while the Administration will sweep up as much information about the US target as possible

Let the Administration prove it's claims about how vital it is to gut the 4th Amendment, let it show, with independently-verified information, just how warrantlessly spying has disrupted real terrorist plots and imminent attacks, with real names, places and proof, none of this faith-based, "just take our word for it/just trust us" BS

Since W claims Iraq is the "Central Front" in the war against terrorists, then it shouldn't be hard to show how warrantless spying is making the US mission easier to accomplish in the Iraq Meatgrinder Fiasco

So, for every worthless slug in the Congress who votes to let W rape, subvert and undermine the same Constitution he's sworn to uphold and defend, I say put all your information, personal, financial and medical, online, for the whole world to see, and then just trust that it won't be misused in the least

Because while that's obvious hyperbole, that's also exactly what the W fucktards are insisting on here

And it doesn't matter if the Democratic leadership votes against this revision themselves, by allowing the bills to a floor vote, they know there are enough Bush dog Dems willing to help W screw this country yet again

Remind me again of just how much accountability the new Congress would subject this clearly out of control and incompetent Administration to legislatively, because from where I'm standing, I sure can't see any change on these big issues at all

cross-posted at Daily Kos