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Warrantless Taps OK

Losers fail to stop winners in vote vs. enemy, that’s a loss therefore a win, right? Senate backs White House on eavesdropping vs. foreign terror suspects:  

The Senate bowed to White House pressure last night and passed a Republican plan for overhauling the federal government’s terrorist surveillance laws, approving changes that would temporarily give U.S. spy agencies expanded power to eavesdrop on foreign suspects without a court order.

The 60 to 28 vote, which was quickly denounced by civil rights and privacy advocates, came after Democrats in the House failed to win support for more modest changes that would have required closer court supervision of government surveillance. Earlier in the day, President Bush threatened to hold Congress in session into its scheduled summer recess if it did not approve the changes he wanted.

… Democratic leaders expressed disappointment about the result, but they pointed to language that would require lawmakers to reconsider the key provisions in six months.

“My Republican colleagues chose to rubber-stamp a flawed administration proposal that fails to provide the accountability needed in the light of the administration’s past mismanagement of key tools in the war on terror,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.).

Yeah, them and some others, now tap dancing to a different tune. Turns out some losers decided they want to be on the winning side.  So if you stop losing, and start winning, you lose the wins you won by losing, but win by winning. That’s a win-win, right?  I don’t know, I’m having trouble keeping it straight:

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.”

Privacy advocates accused the Democrats of selling out and charged that this bill gives the government more authority than it had under a controversial warrantless wiretapping program begun in secret after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Under that program, the government could conduct surveillance without judicial oversight only if it had a reason to believe that one party to the call was a member of or affiliated with al-Qaeda or a related terrorist organization. This bill drops that condition, they noted.

But here’s one loser who hasn’t been paying attention:

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.

One word, Caroline: “Iraq.”  Actually, when the president says “terrorism,” they roll over and lose. 

Topics: GWOT, pols

  Posted by Jules Crittenden at 9:17 am on Saturday, August 4, 2007

8 Responses to “Warrantless Taps OK”

1. RebeccaH Says:
   August 4th, 2007 at 9:58 am

   Howls that America is now one big gulag commence in three…two…one…

2. The_Real_JeffS Says:
   August 4th, 2007 at 10:10 am

   Heh! There is some hope for Congress after all. Or rather, for some members. The current Dhimmicrat “leadership” is sinking faster than the Bismark.

3. Sister Toldjah » Bush wins: Senate votes to expand warrantless surveillance Says:
   August 4th, 2007 at 10:21 am

   [...] Jules Crittenden responds accordingly: Actually, when the president says “terrorism,” they roll over and lose. [...]

4. OldManTyme Says:
   August 4th, 2007 at 10:45 am

   “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.”

   From Ms Fredrickson’s perspective we should favor the more cut and dried physiological response of being made dead through terrorism over the Pavlovian response at the prospect. The concern over state intrusion into private communications is laudable. The implication that the recommendations coming out of the Intelligence committees weren’t well considered is not.

   And Reid is lying again. There is accountability through those committees. The committee members are briefed on a regular basis on any matters pertaining to the FISA. Reid is insulated against specific rebuttal for his lying because the information given in the briefs is classified. What a poltroon.

5. Purple Avenger Says:
   August 4th, 2007 at 12:44 pm

   Harry Reid’s tin foil hat is being bugged.

6. saltydog Says:
   August 4th, 2007 at 1:47 pm

   The dhim leadership has a very difficult time doing the dance they’ve chosen to do. Trying to keep everybody happy means they keep nobody happy. Tsk. Tsk.

7. Robert Says:
   August 4th, 2007 at 3:56 pm

   ACLU — Not for Civil Liberties, Just On the Other Side.

8. tanstaafl Says:
   August 5th, 2007 at 12:31 pm

   I consider the ACLU as truly subversive.

   And H. Reid as just keeping up the rant hoping no one will notice that he ain’t the swiftest minnow in the stream.

   Which tedious adversarial position as Senate (slim majority) leader he seems to think is his job.

   “poltroon” works

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