MSNBC: Bush: Concerns fixed in intel bill, time to vote

[mountebank]

All eyes on House Speaker Hassert's response to pressure
The Associated Press
Updated: 11:08 a.m. ET Dec. 6, 2004

WASHINGTON - President Bush on Monday pressed Congress to pass legislation to revamp the nation’s intelligence agencies, despite the concerns of some House Republicans who are holding up the bill.

“I believe we’ve addressed the concerns, by far, of the majority of the members of both the House and the Senate,” Bush said during an Oval Office meeting with Iraq’s interim President Ghazi al-Yawer.

“I call upon the Congress to pass the intelligence bill,” Bush said. “It’s a good piece of legislation. It is a necessary piece of legislation. It’s a piece of legislation that is important for the security of our country.”

Congressional Democrats say there are enough votes to push the bill through if Republicans will allow a vote.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6655348/

This "debate" is such a farce - and the media cover it like reality. Bush never wanted the bill, still doesn't. Republicans want to portray the image that the only debate worth covering is among Republicans. Democrats are paralyzed.

[havocmom]

1. When bush* says it's 'time to vote' on a bill, it is time to stop and

READ THE FINE PRINT in that bill! All of it!

[GHOSTDANCER]

3. Maybe Mr. Moore need to visit congress with his Ice-Cream truck again?n/t

[havocmom]

5. *snarf*

good suggestion :D

[rock]

2. "we’ve addressed the concerns"

Apparently not.

[Eurobabe]

4. It'd be a whole easier if this were a dictatorship...

eom

[shanti]

6. ok, what's been hidden in this bill?

there has to be something, there always is...

[mulethree]

7. an OSP, lots of UAV's

The office of alternative analysis, gets access to all the data to provide a second opinion on intelligence briefs.

Advanced surveillance systems and remote control planes for watching borders.

A bit of congressional oversight on datamining and database usage.

Quite a bit for homeland security research on bomb sensors, in fact theres one for explosive sensors and another for plastic-explosive sensors to replace explosive-sensors ?? Biometrics, separate ones for the Mexican border and for Visas.

Rather weak on Saudi crackdown on terrorist financing.

Some obstructing repubs want language from a house bill that sets minimum standards for drivers licenses and links state drivers license databases to effectively make a national ID card, deny such ID to illegal immigrants and require more security for the people and machines that make the ID's.


Others are saying it confuses the military chain of command in regard to intelligence. I don't understand this objection. The military wants to keep control of intelligence budgets, but aside from the budgeting I don't see how it affects the chain of command.


I don't much like the national ID card, though I do think Illegal immigration needs to be cracked down.

But I am happy to see dissention and infighting within the repub ranks.