WP: Congressional Probe of NSA Spying Is in Doubt (WH sways GOP Lawmakers)

[sabra]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/14/AR2006021401812.html

Congressional Probe of NSA Spying Is in Doubt
White House Sways Some GOP Lawmakers

By Charles Babington
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 15, 2006; Page A03

Congress appeared ready to launch an investigation into the Bush administration's warrantless domestic surveillance program last week, but an all-out White House lobbying campaign has dramatically slowed the effort and may kill it, key Republican and Democratic sources said yesterday.

The Senate intelligence committee is scheduled to vote tomorrow on a Democratic-sponsored motion to start an inquiry into the recently revealed program in which the National Security Agency eavesdrops on an undisclosed number of phone calls and e-mails involving U.S. residents without obtaining warrants from a secret court. Two committee Democrats said the panel -- made up of eight Republicans and seven Democrats -- was clearly leaning in favor of the motion last week but now is closely divided and possibly inclined against it.

They attributed the shift to last week's closed briefings given by top administration officials to the full House and Senate intelligence committees, and to private appeals to wavering GOP senators by officials, including Vice President Cheney. "It's been a full-court press," said a top Senate Republican aide who asked to speak only on background -- as did several others for this story -- because of the classified nature of the intelligence committees' work.

Lawmakers cite senators such as Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) to illustrate the administration's success in cooling congressional zeal for an investigation. On Dec. 20, she was among two Republicans and two Democrats who signed a letter expressing "our profound concern about recent revelations that the United States Government may have engaged in domestic electronic surveillance without appropriate legal authority." The letter urged the Senate's intelligence and judiciary committees to "jointly undertake an inquiry into the facts and law surrounding these allegations."

[lovuian]

1. Until the Republican party is removed from power there will

be no justice in this country...

[sabra]

3. I wonder if Cheney was the one doing the swaying...

[bluethruandthru]

5. He's threatening to take anyone who calls for

an investigation quail hunting!

[hatrack]

28. No, I'll tell you how they did it - to quote Karl Rove . . . .

"We will fuck him. Do you hear me? Like he has never been fucked before."

This is Bob "Attaboy" Woodward's quote from when he was waiting for an interview with the Chimp. This is what he heard Rove saying on the phone through his half-closed office door.

Bet you dollars to donuts that this was the nature of the "swaying" that's been taking place over the last few days.

[rwheeler31]

6. You are right,

Theses people scare so easily. Why are they such cowards.

[seafan]

8. Yes, you are so right. It all distills down to that. How/When is the "?"

[Hosnon]

34. Or more generally...until no single party controls both the Executive

and Legislative branches there will be no justice...

[WePurrsevere]

2. Sounds like a LOT of concerned VOTER Lobbying needs to be done.

n/t

[bluethruandthru]

4. This is outrageous!

"because of the classified nature of the intelligence committee's work" my ass! It's because they've been threatened by Rove!!

[stepnw1f]

7. It's All a Political Game to Them

It's beneath contempt.

[Coastie for Truth]

9. Cover Up

Remember the GOP's 1952 campaign pitch--

IT'S TIME TO CLEAN UP THE MESS IN WASHINGTON

[European Socialist]

10. If we lose the Repukes it's over--Dems are getting wimpier all the time.

[journalist3072]

11. Must say I am not surprised. And what I also find interesting

Is that the Republicans slammed the Bush White House pretty hard in their Katrina report that was released.

So I'm thinking they were willing to slam Idiot Son on Katrina, in exchange for not doing anything about domestic spying.

[cyberpj]

12. ACLU Petition to "Demand the Truth" here:

Like concerned Americans across the political spectrum, I want the truth about illegal government spying on Americans.

How many Americans have had their phone calls or e-mails monitored by this illegal program? Which laws was President Bush citing when he said the program is "legally right?"

The administration must stop using national security as a blanket reason to keep its illegal activities hidden in the shadows. Effective and public oversight is possible without compromising our security and only a legitimate investigation in Congress can bring the truth to light.

Americans are demanding answers. Because in America, no one is above the law, not even the President.

http://action.aclu.org/site/PageServer?pagename=DTT_petition&autologin=true

[Wordie]

18. Done...and you really ought to post that in GD and GD:P, cyberpj.

It's very important and would get more attention if posted as it's own thread. Maybe it should go in ActivistHQ, too.

Thanks for the link to the petition! :)

[cyberpj]

21. K.

[Wordie]

23. Thanks! I'll watch for the threads...or you could post a link here.

[rodeodance]

25. thanks, done

[stop the bleeding]

13. We will have to wait and see what comes out the 03/03/06 FOIA DOJ

internal memos, not like it will make a difference by then.

[TheGunslinger]

15. Holding your breath?

[stop the bleeding]

16. No doubt n/t

[TheGunslinger]

14. Democracy is being slowly strangled to death

[Beetwasher]

17. I Hope The Repubs Kill It

Yet ANOTHER issue to use against them. It would have been a whitewash anyway w/ them in charge. Better to put it off after Dems get control of the House anyway.

[msongs]

19. der fuhrer really likes jews when he is not at work nt

[TankLV]

20. I am soooo shocked!

The dem party had better run on kicking these CRIMINALS out, or there will be hell to pay by US, their BASE!

[DearAbby]

22. What the hell does the White House have on these people???

Good gawd, they are just handing their power over to them...they may as well be stenographers, taking dictation, for the laws. What the hell does the White house have on these people?

[rodeodance]

24. oh no no no

[VegasWolf]

26. "Surprise, surprise!!!" The repukes really do need a viable opposition

party.

[ticapnews]

27. It's worse than you think...keep reading...

Senate intelligence committee member Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) said in an interview that he supports the NSA program and would oppose a congressional investigation. He said he is drafting legislation that would "specifically authorize this program" by excluding it from the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which established a secret court to consider government requests for wiretap warrants in anti-terrorist investigations.

The administration would be required to brief regularly a small, bipartisan panel drawn from the House and Senate intelligence committees, DeWine said, and the surveillance program would require congressional reauthorization after five years to remain in place.

Snowe said she is inclined to support DeWine's plan. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), who also signed the Dec. 20 letter seeking an inquiry, said yesterday that the FISA law should be amended to include the NSA program and to provide for congressional oversight.

They have already shown they cannot provide any oversight. They not only willnot investigate this criminal act, they want to make it legal. Spying on Americans would be perfectly legal.

Is it Germany yet?

[kainah]

29. Write them and complain

I just sent notes to Hagel, DeWine and Snowe reminding them that their oath is to the Constitution, not the Republican Party. And also put pressure on Specter and the Judiciary Committee. If the Intelligence Committee won't lead, the Judiciary Committee must. And, in fact, since we know Pat Roberts will do everything in his power to shut this down, it may be better not to have him in charge. But there MUST be a public investigation so that we, the people, finally get a chance to hear what's being done in our name to "keep us safe."

Send them emails!!

[deacon]

30. That would mean the GOP leadership is approving of dictatorship

Dem leaders need to not step up but JUMP up and take this fight on. They all took an oath-whoever (regardless of party) doesn't support a thorough investigation is breaking their oath as much as the president has.

The White House is suppose to be a seperate branch of goverment-why are congress members allowing this? How weakhearted are they?

[EFerrari]

31. It's difficult to believe that even the Thugs named in this article

are expressing their real views of this dangerous consolidation of power in the Executive. That would be cutting their own throats, wouldn't it?

[Nothing Without Hope]

32. ****Rove's blackmail is WORKING. LINKS:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x342591
thread title (2-6-06 GD): Rove Threatens Republican Senators...
Comment/excerpt: “Congressional sources said Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove has threatened to blacklist any Republican who votes against the president. The sources said the blacklist would mean a halt in any White House political or financial support of senators running for re-election in November.”

Keith Olbermann covers Rove’s “enemies list” on Countdown. VIDEO:
http://www.canofun.com/cof/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=16329

Of course, I am sure that there is also BELOW THE BOARDS blackmail of quite another kind going on. One of the purposes of the spying programs has surely been to gather blackmail evidence to keep everyone in thrall to the criminals. And I'm not the only one to think so:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x338735
thread title (2-6-06 GD): Ex-Reagan official- Dubya uses spying to blackmail media & Dems
Comment/excerpt: About the author:?Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review.

[sabra]

33. no doubt :-(