The FISA Showdown
October 17, 2007Eric Cantor, never one known for actually doing much of anything on the floor of the House, stood up for President Bush today by adding a useless preemptive signing statement to the FISA bill and doing everything in his power to essentially clog up the process of passing the legislation.
His nonsensical and utterly meaningless amendment included the statement that nothing in the bill “shall be construed to prohibit the intelligence community from conducting surveillance needed to prevent Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda, or any other foreign terrorist organization… from attacking the United States or any United States person.”
As Greg Sargent of TPM Election Central reports, the text of the amendment is utterly meaningless, as is much of the supposed “war on terror” rhetoric that Republicans like Cantor have used for years. That’s not the point. What is the point is delaying the legislation which many Republicans disagree with, thinking it does not cede enough unconstitutional powers to the president. You can read the actual bill here (beware: PDF), but the main thing to take away from it is that it essentially clarifies and modernizes the actual law of the land that Bush has been flagrantly breaking for years, after 9/11 and apparently before.
Some points to make here:
Cantor is literally playing politics with our supposed safety. The last time that FISA was renewed Bush claimed that delaying passage or weakening his unconstitutional powers would result in making us less safe. It was even floated that there was a legitimate threat they had information on and that if Democrats, like Jim Webb, did not give the president a blank check to spy it would make us less safe. So why would Cantor introduce an amendment in order to slow down the process? Does he want to make us less safe? As per Sargent, linked above, the text was inserted into a motion to recommit the legislation to committee and not allow an up or down vote. So why does Cantor want to delay the bill?
This is as clear a case as I’ve ever seen of playing politics with our safety. The Democrats want to hold the president accountable to what’s in the Bill of Rights which is the part of the constitution that Republicans seem to have a little troubling understanding. The FISA bill is merely a codification of the surveillance powers of the executive branch, which were instituted after the last time a Republican president spied on Americans illegally. And now these Rubber Stamp Republicans want to not only look the other way while the president spies on whomever he wants, but they want to legally grant those powers, which were once an impeachable offense, to the president. And THEN they want to use their own delaying tactic as an attack on Democrats: literally playing politics with our safety.
As House MAJORITY Leader Steny Hoyer put it:
Once again, they have offered an amendment that, if passed, would have substantially delayed this important legislation - which is designed to protect the American people - by proposing language already provided in the bill.
We have every intention of completing consideration of this critical legislation and fulfilling our twin objectives - protecting the American people and protecting their civil liberties.
You gotta give it to Cantor; he’s a liar, but he’s got some balls.
Update:
Here’s a great post from DailyKos detailing the full scope detailing the method behind Cantor’s delaying tactics.
After 10 days, this Blog should be titled
“WHERE’S BRAD”…………Pumps
Where’s your blog, pumps? Skeered to link to it?
Perhaps if you understood how Virginia politics works, you’d realize that blogging about a 2008 race while the 2007 election cycle is just hitting its home stretch is a tad counter-intuitive and non-productive.
Think, boy. Think.
Then why is Brad talking about Eric Cantor in 2007
when he will be in the 2008 election cycle? (See
past 2007 blog postings)…..Pumps
Just to fuck with whiny little Republican douches like you!
Years ago it would be a mouth full of soap for
such language….But, in this day and age, the
liberals have made it a crime of “child abuse”….
What mentality uses the F-word in a debate?…Pumps
This is a “debate”? Is that what you really think?
Make a valid point about… oh, I don’t know, anything, and then perhaps it will be a debate.
I posted at 2:07pm because I am retired…..You
posted at 2:14pm….You must be retired also….
Pumps
Do you actually believe everyone in the world works the same hours? Are you that dumb?
Oh, wait. Republican. Forgot.
So apparently in your idiotic fantasy-land, everyone works 9 to 5 and no one has internet at work. Perhaps, based on your fundamental lack of understanding of things going on around you, you shouldn’t be allowed to vote. I’m kinda stunned you can even use the internets, grandpa.
Thanks for getting it right and using the proper
word “Grandpa”….It sure beats your use of the
word “boy”….Now, I will work on what used to be
know as “respect”…..Pumps
You got that right, you sure should work on “respect.”
As much as I enjoy your nonsensical old-man ramblings that you seem to think is your contribution to a society that’s apparently passed you by, I’m done with you. Read the rules in the “About” section.
“…You’re trying to hijack a thread. If you want a conversation, that’s fine, and I’ll usually get involved if I have the time. But I will not tolerate simply posting over and over again with no relevance to the blog at all to try to dominate or whatever.”