That means it will Sunset (I think the date is) February 1. Either that or the end of February.
Which is fine.
We have an entire Court set up -- a secret court which has functioned through multiple administrations just fine -- which the NSA/Feds can go to in order to get a warrant.
If the NSA believes they have a genuine emergency, they may wiretap without a warrant for 72 hours while they move to get a warrant. Even should the warrant be denied, the fact that they believed in good faith they had a genuine emergency, is sufficient to cover them legally.
Letting the current law sunset does NOTHING to damage our national security. Not a goddamn thing.
Don't let anyone -- ***cough*** Sunday Talk Show Hosts & Guests * Traditional Media Assholes * anyone from FOX ***cough*** -- tell you different.
Bravo to our next Senate Majority Leader, Chris Dodd.
Yeah, but the current law isn't going to sunset. Senator Reid's plan is to pass an extension of it for 18 months.
Dodd needs to ask on the Senate floor, "Why is it that these wiretaps are so damned important when the FBI can't even keep up the bills on them?"
The ACLU is gearing up BIG TIME to kill the damn thing entirely.
They want it to sunset.
Good. That is what should happen. And is what I was referring to in my comment above.
Otherwise, we get the fucking thing extended into the next cycle, and it's a problem for the next President.
Let it die now on Bush's watch.
I'm sorry, I don't have your faith that the proposed extension will be killed. It's an election year, and extending a poor law and pissing off the ACLU is better than having 'soft on terrorism' adverts being run during a campaign.
Or at least, that'll be the logic Senator Reid and Congressman Emanuel will use to beat their caucuses into line.
Oh, I'm not saying they'll succeed. But there is going to be a serious fight. And we shall see.
I don't think Reid would dare make this a required vote.
This ain't over. The Vichy Dems may yet find a way to give Dear Leader his victory.
Commenting by HaloScan
