Waiting on FISA Vote
After a lengthy debate on the budget, the House has moved on to debating FISA, but have not voted yet.
The Decider began the day properly on the South Lawn and delivered his standard dose of fear-mongering before any FISA-related activity. The President graciously and with all due respect, informed the People that House leaders dumped the bill he keeps demanding and instead, “they introduced a partisan bill that would undermine America’s security.”
When asked about the President’s kind and noble accusations, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi responded with a Pinocchio lesson.
Q: “Are you saying the President is lying?”
A: Speaker Pelosi: “That’s the same question I got in 2001 when they asked me when I said ‘the intelligence on Iraq does not support the threat, of an imminent threat, to our country’ that the Administration is contending…I said then, and I say now, I am stating a fact. The President is wrong and he knows it.”
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn gave the President these little nuggets of truth and wisdom.
Hoyer:
The White House insistence that Congress provide telecommunications companies that participated in the President’s surveillance program with blanket immunity is neither justified nor in keeping with our nation’s legal tradition. In essence, the President is asking Congress to immunize companies for their conduct – despite the fact that Congress is not sure what conduct it would be immunizing, and despite the fact that serious questions have been raised about the legality of the surveillance program. Congress owes the American people more than blind obeisance to the Executive Branch.
Clyburn:
The absurd and outrageous allegations made by President Bush this morning that FISA legislation being considered in the House would make America less safe are false and misleading.
The FISA legislation being debated in the House this week would upgrade our intelligence surveillance capabilities while at the same time protecting core constitutional freedoms that all Americans value and cherish….I encourage the President to stop the scare tactics and work with Congress on legislation that improves our national security and moves our country in a New Direction.
Just before submitting this post, their is some argument debate between Democratic Representatives and House Minority Whip Roy Blunt over going into an unplanned secret session for further debate. Some of the Dems are questioning the intent and purpose of the secret session — they clearly think someone is trying to pull a fast one over them. That’s all I know at this point. Who know what kind of hi jinks may be occurring, or maybe its legit???
