Obama Responds To FISA Decision
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, Law, Legislation, The War On TerrorismReprinted in full…
“Given the grave threats that we face, our national security agencies must have the capability to gather intelligence and track down terrorists before they strike, while respecting the rule of law and the privacy and civil liberties of the American people. There is also little doubt that the Bush Administration, with the cooperation of major telecommunications companies, has abused that authority and undermined the Constitution by intercepting the communications of innocent Americans without their knowledge or the required court orders.“That is why last year I opposed the so-called Protect America Act, which expanded the surveillance powers of the government without sufficient independent oversight to protect the privacy and civil liberties of innocent Americans. I have also opposed the granting of retroactive immunity to those who were allegedly complicit in acts of illegal spying in the past.
“After months of negotiation, the House today passed a compromise that, while far from perfect, is a marked improvement over last year’s Protect America Act.
“Under this compromise legislation, an important tool in the fight against terrorism will continue, but the President’s illegal program of warrantless surveillance will be over. It restores FISA and existing criminal wiretap statutes as the exclusive means to conduct surveillance - making it clear that the President cannot circumvent the law and disregard the civil liberties of the American people. It also firmly re-establishes basic judicial oversight over all domestic surveillance in the future. It does, however, grant retroactive immunity, and I will work in the Senate to remove this provision so that we can seek full accountability for past offenses. But this compromise guarantees a thorough review by the Inspectors General of our national security agencies to determine what took place in the past, and ensures that there will be accountability going forward. By demanding oversight and accountability, a grassroots movement of Americans has helped yield a bill that is far better than the Protect America Act.
“It is not all that I would want. But given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay. So I support the compromise, but do so with a firm pledge that as President, I will carefully monitor the program, review the report by the Inspectors General, and work with the Congress to take any additional steps I deem necessary to protect the lives - and the liberty - of the American people.”
As I said in my previous post, I think this bill is a good compromise and anybody who votes for Obama should start getting used to this kind of legislation. Obviously it won’t be pretty, but it represents a better reality than the previous law and if anybody hopes to repair the damage brought on by the Bush administration, they better expect some scar tissue in the interim.
This entry was posted on Saturday, June 21st, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, Barack, Law, Legislation, The War On Terrorism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
June 21st, 2008 at 2:44 am
How the hell is this a comprimise? We get SOME better laws in exchange for MOST of them still being shitty and Bush and Telecom immunity. This isn’t a comprimise it’s selling out. This does nothing to derail any Bush policy/power grab what so ever.
June 24th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
[...] mystifying are the Obama supporters who were so critical of the Clinton ad (JG), but now give Obama a free pass (JG) on a FISA flip flop that invokes the same fears, but with far more serious and long lasting [...]
June 24th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Through the looking glass with Obama, McCain, the Constitution, and FISA….
Particularly mystifying are the Obama supporters who were so critical of the Clinton ad, but now give Obama a free pass on a FISA flip flop that invokes the same fears, but with serious and long lasting implications for the rule of law. Glen Greenwald …