Dems act afraid of the boogeypresident once again

By Edward Copeland

Sure, Congress' approval ratings are even lower than Dubya's, but don't they realize that most people no longer even listen to Dubya, just waiting for the day that our long, national nightmare is over. They do however watch Congress, who after seven months of Democratic leadership keeps disappointing voters who hoped they'd finally bring back some check and balance on this incompetent zealot in the Oval Office. I guess getting their long August recess is more important, as the Senate Dems cave and gives Dubya what he wants in terms of FISA changes, though they insist the changes "are temporary," in a 60-28 vote. It's on to the House today. As usual, helping the GOP get their victory was closeted Republican Censorin' Joe Lieberman.

Sixteen Democrats and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) joined all 43 Republicans in supporting the measure, which is nearly identical to a proposal prepared by the Bush administration. "We're at war. The enemy wants to attack us," Lieberman said during the Senate debate. "This is not the time to strive for legislative perfection."

People who believe in the rule of law and rights of privacy say that this bill actually gives Dubyaland more snooping authority than they had under the old warrantless wiretapping program, noting that the previous requirement that at least one side of the call had to be affiliated with al-Qaida or some other terrorist group has now been dropped.

Democrats "have a Pavlovian reaction: Whenever the president says the word 'terrorism,' they roll over and play dead," said Caroline Fredrickson, Washington legislative director of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Gregory Nojeim, senior counsel at the Center for Democracy and Technology, predicted that the bill's approval would lead to the monitoring of ordinary Americans by the National Security Agency, which conducts most of the government's electronic surveillance. "If this bill becomes law, Americans who communicate with a person abroad can count on one thing: The NSA may be listening," he said.