John McCain plans to vote for tampering with FISA: "I will support this measure and hope that politics will be put aside in favor of this vital national security matter." In the brouhaha about Obama selling out on this issue, the Democrats have lost their opportunity to attack McCain on this issue. But McCain voting for the measure is every bit as bad as Obama voting for it. This is a bill specifically designed to undermine the Fourth Amendment and put political pressure on the courts to bring in a specific verdict, one that is intended to protect the White House from further legal prosecution.
Here’s McCain’s statement on FISA:
For months, House Democrats, the ACLU, and the trial lawyers have held up legislation to modernize our nation’s terrorist surveillance laws. Today, the House passed a compromise bill to end this impasse. While I would have preferred to see the Senate bill enacted, which I voted for earlier this year, I am pleased Congressional leaders and the Administration were able to reach an agreement to reform our current surveillance law and not let FISA expire in August. I hope Senate Democrats will allow this matter to quickly be considered by the Senate and sent to the President for his signature. I will support this measure and hope that politics will be put aside in favor of this vital national security matter.
It should be no secret by now that S. 2248 is a bad bill. It does nothing to enhance the security interests of the United States, but it’s full of loopholes that will allow the Bush Administration to continue illegally spying in violation of the original FISA law. At the same time, it puts political pressure on the courts to excuse the telecom companies for their collusion with the Bush Administration to spy on Americans. When the Republican Congress attempted to do the same in the Terry Schiavo case, most Americans were rightly up in arms about this and decried it as a violation of separation of powers.
Congressional Democrats were incredibly dull in bringing up this bill during the election cycle. It needs to be sent to a committee where new oversight of the process needs to be added. In the meantime, no one suffers from the lack of this bill.
Those who care about American freedoms, those who count themselves true patriots, should vote to send this bill to committee and certainly should not vote to pass it. I’m calling on John McCain to do exactly that.
Not that I expect a reply.