FISA Fight: Do Dems want to be like Joe?

Democrats in Congress have a choice to make. Do they want to be like Joe Lieberman?

A Connecticut reader sends us this missive on FISA from his junior Senator:

March 10, 2008

Dear Mr. [constituent]:

Thank you for contacting me to express your views regarding extending the Protect America Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-55), which was signed into law by the President on August 5, 2007.  I welcome the opportunity to share my thoughts with you on this serious issue.

It has been neither an accident nor luck that America has not been attacked since that horrific day on September 11, 2001.  As a result of the hard work of many in the intelligence community, those who would kill many more Americans have been thwarted in their attempts to attack us again.  Nevertheless, as the recent National Intelligence Estimate stated, the terrorist threat to the U.S. homeland remains persistent and continues to evolve, especially as the terrorists become more proficient in their use of modern technology....

On February 12, 2008, I voted for, and the Senate passed with a strong bipartisan vote of 68-29, the FISA Amendments Act of 2007 (S. 2248) that was introduced by Senator John Rockefeller (D-WV)....

S. 2248 also included a provision that would grant legal protections to the telecommunications companies that assisted with foreign intelligence collection between September 11, 2001 and January 17, 2007. I supported that provision because those companies were asked to assist the intelligence community in defending the country, and they did so in good faith.  Allowing those companies to be held liable for that assistance would be unfair and would serve as a grave disincentive for the private sector to partner with the government on issues of national security in the future.  It is important to remember that the federal government itself does not have the capacity of its own telecommunications company and must rely on private providers in this instance.  As the nature of the terrorist threat continues to evolve, we will need the assistance of everyone - the private sector and the general public - to keep us safe.

Unfortunately, the House did not pass a similar version of S. 2248; and the Protect America Act has expired.  The intelligence community now must operate under the 1978 FISA law, which means it is hampered in its ability to collect the information it needs to do its job effectively.  I strongly urge the House to follow the Senate's lead and pass a law similar to S. 2248.  An updated FISA law that includes a provision granting the telecommunications companies with legal liability protection is critical to our safety and security.

Please be assured that I will keep your views in mind as the Senate continues to work with the U.S. House of Representatives to reconcile the differences between the two versions of the bill.  I believe our national security is paramount, and please be assured of my commitment to maintaining the balance between the crucial need for tools to fight the war on terror and the equally important need to protect our civil liberties.

Thank you again for sharing your views and concerns with me.  I hope you will continue to visit my web site at http://lieberman.senate.gov for updated news about my work on behalf of Connecticut and the nation.  Please contact me if you have any additional questions or comments about our work in Congress.

Sincerely,
 
Joseph I. Lieberman
UNITED STATES SENATOR

That's an interesting interpretation of events on Joe's part. There's also this one--it was actually the House Republicans who prevented an extension of the Protect America Act. It's their fault that bill expired. There's also the part where the intelligence community can continue any of it's current surveillance projects started under PAA for a year. And the fact that none of the telecommunications companies are holding the intelligence agencies hostage over immunity--it is not critical to our safety and security.

What it is critical to Joe and the Republicans, it seems, is the cover up of the illegal warrantless wiretapping program. Not surprisingly, Joe Lieberman joins the Republicans in protecting George Bush and AT&T over protecting Amercans. Who among the Dems wants to join him?