Democrats Seem Ready to Extend Wiretap Powers

Exactly as I suspected they might the Democrats are preparing to roll over and play dead on the subject of illegal wiretapping.

Two months after insisting that they would roll back broad eavesdropping powers won by the Bush administration, Democrats in Congress appear ready to make concessions that could extend some crucial powers given to the National Security Agency.

Administration officials say they are confident they will win approval of the broadened authority that they secured temporarily in August as Congress rushed toward recess. Some Democratic officials concede that they may not come up with enough votes to stop approval.

As the debate over the eavesdropping powers of the National Security Agency begins anew this week, the emerging measures reflect the reality confronting the Democrats.

Although willing to oppose the White House on the Iraq war, they remain nervous that they will be called soft on terrorism if they insist on strict curbs on gathering intelligence.

This is typical behaviour from the Democrats who are, at times, little better than enablers for Bush's blatant illegality. It is actions like this which result in Congress having so little support from the public as it is the supporters of the Democrats who express the most disgust at Congress's inaction.

Indeed, what's astonishing about some Democrats fearing that they will be perceived as being "soft on terrorism" if they ask that the President obeys the law - it's an outrageous thing to ask I know - is that public opinion by a clear majority favours Bush being impeached for these particular crimes.

By a margin of 52% to 43%, Americans want Congress to consider impeaching President Bush if he wiretapped American citizens without a judge's approval.

Not only are they going to extend the broad, blanket authority for N.S.A. eavesdropping which they recently gave Bush but they are rumoured to be planning to include "retroactive immunity for telecommunications utilities that participated in the once-secret program to eavesdrop without court warrants."

So they are preparing to give immunity for what was blatantly illegal behaviour.

If they go ahead and grant this, they will be worthy of contempt.

Wendy Morigi, a spokeswoman for Mr. Rockefeller, said that retroactive immunity for the utilities was “under discussion” but that no final proposal had been developed.

The immunity issue may prove to be the crucial sticking point between whatever proposals the House and Senate ultimately pass. Representative Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat who was among the harshest critics of the temporary bill, said in an interview he would vigorously oppose any effort to grant retroactive legal protection to telecommunications utilities.

“There is heavy pressure on the immunity, and we should not cave an inch on that,” Mr. Nadler said.

I'm with Nadler, what's the point of having laws if, the minute someone breaks them - willingly and knowingly - then you instantly grant them retroactive immunity?

This is just a further example of the mindset the Bush administration exemplified by the - to all intents and purposes - pardoning of "Scooter" Libby. This is an administration who do not think the law applies to them.

The Democrats most certainly should not agree with that particular notion.

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Tags: NSA wiretapping, Democrats, Republicans