Republicans propose last-minute spy bill

REPUBLICANS PROPOSE LAST-MINUTE SPY BILL
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Anne Broache]
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) has made a last-minute attempt at giving the Bush administration what he calls the necessary "resources" for carrying out its phone call and Internet surveillance within the law, but critics remain unconvinced. The new bill drew near-immediate skepticism from the American Civil Liberties Union and from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who co-sponsored what civil liberties groups viewed as a more stringent bill with Specter earlier this year. That bill narrowly cleared a committee vote in July but has since stalled. Titled the "Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Oversight and Resource Enhancement Act of 2006," the latest Specter bill does not appear to grant as much latitude for warrantless spying as the approved House bill. Specter's proposal, for instance, would require the U.S. Supreme Court to review all appeals of cases challenging the legality of the specific spy program acknowledged by the president last December, whereas the version approved by the House would effectively quash all such challenges. The bill also proposes a number of changes to existing law that some find troubling.
http://news.com.com/Republicans+propose+last-minute+spy+bill/2100-1028_3-6136026.html?tag=nefd.top