Wiretap Bill Altered

BUSH'S ALLIES STRUGGLE TO KEEP WAR BILLS
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Laurie Kellman]
White House loyalists struggled on Wednesday to save President Bush's wartime legislative plans from collapsing under Republican squabbles. For the White House, there was some good news. The House Intelligence Committee approved by voice vote a bill that would put into law the Administration's warrentless wiretapping program. The sponsor, Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) had rewritten the measure to make it more to President Bush's liking. The Judiciary Committee later endorsed a similar version, 20-16. But Wilson's revision, likely to draw President Bush's support, is the bill that probably will make it to the full House. Under Wilson's revised bill, the President may only conduct the secret surveillance under specific conditions. For example, the President must notify Congress within five days of authorizing the surveillance, name the entity that poses the threat and state the reason for believing an attack is imminent. Even if the House and Senate pass versions of the wiretapping legislation in the next week, the differences would not be resolved until a lame-duck congressional session after the Nov. 7 elections, Rep Wilson said.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CONGRESS_TERRORISM?SITE=PAYOK&SEC...

*
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20060921/a_terror21.art.htm

* House panel endorses controversial spy bill
http://news.com.com/House+panel+endorses+controversial+spy+bill/2100-102...

** See also --
* While Nixon Campaigned, the F.B.I. Watched John Lennon
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Adam Cohen]
[Commentary] The F.B.I.’s surveillance of John Lennon is a reminder of how easily domestic spying can become unmoored from any legitimate law enforcement purpose. What is more surprising, and ultimately more unsettling, is the degree to which the surveillance turns out to have been intertwined with electoral politics. Critics of today’s domestic surveillance object largely on privacy grounds. They have focused far less on how easily government surveillance can become an instrument for the people in power to try to hold on to power. “The U.S. vs. John Lennon” would be a sobering film at any time, but it is particularly so right now. It is the story not only of one man being harassed, but of a democracy being undermined.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/opinion/21thu4.html
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