by James Oliphant
As promised, the White House is not happy with the FISA bill passed by the House Friday. Here’s deputy press secretary Tony Fratto:
And to provide counterpoint, we give you Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
I commend the House of Representatives for passing its amendment to the Senate’s FISA Amendments Act of 2007. It is a step forward, and a good bill. The Senate-passed legislation has a number of serious failings and does not adequately protect the privacy and civil liberties of Americans. The House bill adds several crucial protections without interfering in any way with this important new surveillance authority.
For the last month, the House has worked with Democratic Senators, and House leaders have repeatedly sought to work with congressional Republicans and the administration to fashion reasonable compromise legislation. Unfortunately, congressional Republicans and the administration have refused to engage in meaningful discussions or negotiations about the legislation.The White House has tried, again, to treat Congress like a rubber stamp.
Sigh. Have we mentioned how we are looking forward to the recess?
