Congress and the President have no higher responsibility than protecting the American people from enemies who attacked our country -- and who want to do so again. Terrorists in faraway lands are plotting and planning new ways to kill Americans. The security of our country and the safety of our citizens depend on learning about their plans. The Protect America Act is a vital tool in stopping the terrorists -- and it would be a grave mistake for Congress to weaken this tool.
-President Bush on renewal of legislation revamping the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, October 10, 2007
Back in October, it was of supreme importance that the "Protect America Act" -- a revamp of FISA -- be renewed. Democrats passed Bush's legislation, which legalized his previously illegal warrentless wiretapping of calls with a party outside the US, but included a "sunset provision," where Bush wanted the retooling to be permanent.
That sun sets next month and, once again, Bush's warrantless wiretapping will become an issue -- this time, in the middle of a presidential primary. Expect a crap storm. But remember this:
Associated Press:
Telephone companies have cut off FBI wiretaps used to eavesdrop on suspected criminals because of the bureau's repeated failures to pay phone bills on time.
A Justice Department audit released Thursday blamed the lost connections on the FBI's lax oversight of money used in undercover investigations. In one office alone, unpaid costs for wiretaps from one phone company totaled $66,000.
In at least one case, a wiretap used in a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act investigation "was halted due to untimely payment," the audit found. FISA wiretaps are used in the government's most sensitive and secretive criminal and intelligence investigations, and allow eavesdropping on suspected terrorists or spies...
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