Obama's FISA Statement

[Spensed]

In his FISA statement yesterday, Obama said:

The ability to monitor and track individuals who want to attack the United States is a vital counter-terrorism tool, and I'm persuaded that it is necessary to keep the American people safe -- particularly since certain electronic surveillance orders will begin to expire later this summer. Given the choice between voting for an improved yet imperfect bill, and losing important surveillance tools, I've chosen to support the current compromise.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/commu...ospars/gGxsZF/

I'd be grateful if someone would clarify whether that's a correct statement of the position on the surveillance issue.

For some reason, I'd assumed that, if the "surveillance orders" expired that just meant that Bush & Co would have to go through the routine of getting court approval for their surveillance, which isn't that big of a deal. But Obama seems to saying something different.

[letme]

Sounds to me that BHO just took another step to the Right.
If he keeps this up , he might make it to the center before November.

[construct]

I certainly hope that your quoted passage is a correct statement of Sen. Obama's views, Spensed. It seems to me an innocuous statement that no one could reasonably disagree with.

But notice earlier in that press release that Sen. Obama said that he would work with Dodd and Bingaman to remove Title II from the bill. That is to say he is still opposed to retroactive immunity and wants to see it scrapped.

The job of a legislator is to make compromises. If a legislator never votes against his own conscience, he's not doing his job.

Originally Posted by construct

The job of a legislator is to make compromises. If a legislator never votes against his own conscience, he's not doing his job.

How do you always find ways to say what I saw except in one post when it takes me 15 lol. Kudos for keeping it short and direct.

[Spensed]

Originally Posted by construct

I certainly hope that your quoted passage is a correct statement of Sen. Obama's views, Spensed. It seems to me an innocuous statement that no one could reasonably disagree with.

But notice earlier in that press release that Sen. Obama said that he would work with Dodd and Bingaman to remove Title II from the bill. That is to say he is still opposed to retroactive immunity and wants to see it scrapped.

The job of a legislator is to make compromises. If a legislator never votes against his own conscience, he's not doing his job.

I'm still not clear why he needs to do anything. If the bill doesn't pass does that mean that even court authorized surveillance is no longer allowed. That was he seems to be saying? If that's the case, what he says makes a little more sense.

[construct]

Originally Posted by Spensed

I'm still not clear why he needs to do anything. If the bill doesn't pass does that mean that even court authorized surveillance is no longer allowed. That was he seems to be saying? If that's the case, what he says makes a little more sense.

That is how I read it, yes. FISA was a protection that was put in place to allow appropriate surveillance without creating a mechanism that could be used for personal interests. In other words, we won't have to worry about another J. Edgar Hoover with a FISA court to stop him.

The problem with the current administration is that they have weakened those protections, ignored them, and wanted to let the companies who cooperate off the hook. Title II needs to be removed, but more importantly an improved version needs to be passed.