Senate panel rejects bid for NSA inquiry

Senate Republicans on Tuesday agreed to expand oversight of President George W. Bush's domestic spying program but rejected Democratic pressure for a broad inquiry into eavesdropping on U.S. citizens.

Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas, Republican chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said the committee voted to create a new seven-member subcommittee that would scrutinize the eavesdropping under a plan approved by the White House.

The Bush administration was criticized by rights groups, Democrats and some Republicans for the surveillance program. It started after the September 11 attacks and allowed the National Security Agency to eavesdrop without a warrant on Americans' international phone and e-mail communications while in pursuit of al Qaeda.

In addition, the White House has begun discussions with several Republican lawmakers on legislative language that could further regulate the program.

"I believe the president is prepared to sign a bill once the Congress does work its will," Roberts told reporters after a closed-door committee meeting.

"When it comes to national security, I prefer accommodation over confrontation whenever possible. We should fight the enemy. We should not fight each other."

Four Senate Republicans, all critics of the program, proposed a plan that would authorize the National Security Agency to eavesdrop without a warrant for 45 days but require the White House to justify every decision to continue beyond that timeframe.

The legislative proposal, titled the Terrorist Surveillance Act of 2006, also would force the eavesdropping program to cease after five years unless renewed by Congress.

Sen. Mike DeWine of Ohio, one of the four Republicans pressing for legislation, said the proposal was backed by Roberts and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee and accepted "in broad concept" by the White House.

Some insight from AJ Strata:

http://strata-sphere.com/blog/index.php/archives/1453

Today the tide completed its turn away from the media lies and spin and towards common sense. The NSA story started off as a media-made fantasy where supposedly Bush ordered the NSA to defy the FISA act and go witch hunting. In the end it was learned that the only thing the NSA did was pass their leads to the FISA Court (FISC) which determined unilaterally NSA leads meant nothing and rejected the idea of surveillling people in the US in obvious contact with terrorists. How do I know this is an accurate assessment? The Senate Intelligence committee just folded when the administration called their bluff:

Senate Republicans on Tuesday agreed to expand oversight of President George W. Bush’s domestic spying program but rejected Democratic pressure for a broad inquiry into eavesdropping on U.S. citizens.

Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas, Republican chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said the committee voted to create a new seven-member subcommittee that would scrutinize the eavesdropping under a plan approved by the White House.

…
Four Senate Republicans, all critics of the program, proposed a plan that would authorize the National Security Agency to eavesdrop without a warrant for 45 days but require the White House to justify every decision to continue beyond that timeframe.

The legislative proposal, titled the Terrorist Surveillance Act of 2006, also would force the eavesdropping program to cease after five years unless renewed by Congress.

Well now. The Senators are now part of the war effort. They get to review those under scrutiny and determine for themselves if the evidence rises to the level of concern. And do not underestimate their new powers. When the FISA judges revolt again they will be up in front of Congress to explain why they are so prudish as to disallow evidence from the NSA just because it is from the NSA.

One Senator, in the Justice Department’s cross hairs (career prosecutors - not political appointees) is staning alone trying to spin a still gullible media:

“The committee, to put it bluntly, is basically under the control of the White House through its chairman,” said a visibly frustrated Sen. John Rockefeller of West Virginia, ranking Democrat on the intelligence committee.

And one could say the antique media is under the control of Democrats Jay-Jay - because they print every bit of propaganda you leaked to them! But the media also has survival insticts. They will not sacrifice careers for a politician caught selling out his country for votes. No matter, this part of the story is about to be history - and now come the leak investigations.

BTW, Specter’s petulent threat to withhold funding for all NSA surveillance simply demonstrates why he his not someone to trust with national security. I guess in his mind losing 3,000 lives to make sure there is no chance a mistake is made and one person’s rights are temporarily infringed makes sense. Some people have warped logic.

More here:

Support was building among Republicans and the White House on Tuesday for a proposal from several moderate senators that would give President Bush’s controversial surveillance program the force of law, more than four years after he secretly initiated the program.

The move allowed Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee to support efforts to craft eavesdropping legislation and conduct additional oversight. It also blunted Democratic calls for an investigation of the U.S.-based monitoring operations in the Senate Intelligence Committee.

I would keep an eye on the left, this is going to send them into some serious depression.

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