The Democrats cowed to the Bush administration yesterday by passing a bill that amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to allow the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence to authorise wiretaps and other eavesdropping methods on all electronic communication coming from foreigners outside the US through communication routers in the US. This would, essentially, encompass even my communications.
I have done some proper research this morning, even going as far as reading the bill from the House website. It’s slighlty confusing seeing as it’s in legislative jargon and I only got up 45 minutes ago but it basically means that the Attorney General (currently Alberto Gonzalez who we are well aware of his ‘up-standing’ credentials) or the Director of National Intelligence free reign to eavesdrop on any foreigner whose communications go through the US. I reckon that’s a lot. And it can include eavesdropping on someone in America if that person is on the receiving end of this foreign communication.
What annoys me most of all, however, is the fact that the Democrats succumbed to the administration and passed this bill. They tried to get their own version passed but failed. While this new law is temporary and will be reviewed in six months, it appears to me to have been pushed through so that Congress could go on vacation. It also appears, to me, to be that certain Democrats who voted for this bill are not doing what they were elected to do. Democrats gained control of Congress in November due to the electorate’s dissatisfaction with the embattled Bush. The war in Iraq was a major factor but also, I believe, the administration’s secretive eavesdropping programme fuelled matters. The Democrats were elected in retaliation to this administration’s scandalous running of the country and their quagmire in Iraq. Today, however, Democrats have shown the American people that, in fact, they aren’t so up to the job themselves.
I know that compromise and debate are key components of the US Congress, but I also feel that when the administration has already been in ‘hot water’ over its eavesdropping programme you don’t hand them more power on a silver platter. I am glad to report that top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi did not vote for this bill but countless other Democrats did. I am not able to access the Senate voting information to see about current Presidential candidates Clinton, Edwards and Obama as the Senate site has not updated this information yet. As soon as I can access it, I will. Unfortunately, the Democrats have been painted as spineless by countless pundits and commentators. It would appear, then, that in some ways these people were correct. I say shame on those Democrats who voted for this bill. They do not deserve their position in Congress.