Politics As Usual
Shining a Light on Power and Policy
Tom Shine covers congressional politics for ABC News.
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"THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO STRIVE FOR LEGISLATIVE PERFECTION"
August 06, 2007 2:00 PM
It was late Friday night, time to go on vacation, and the United States Senate was finally coming to grips with the Bush administration's request to EXPAND ITS WARRANTLESS SURVEILLANCE POWERS, FISA.
There was heightened security at the U.S. Capitol, the President had gathered his top military leaders around him at the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building for a scary counterterrorism speech earlier in the day and Mississippi's Trent Lott was telling everyone Congress shouldn't return from its August Recess until September 12th.
Senator Joe Lieberman, I of Connecticut, took to the floor and gave a passionate speech in support of what the administration wanted. According to the WASHINGTON POST he said, WE'RE AT WAR. THE ENEMY WANTS TO ATTACK US. THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO STRIVE FOR LEGISLATIVE PERFECTION."
Given recent polls that show just what the public thinks of Congress, it is UNLIKELY that anyone in this country will ACCUSE LIEBERMAN or any of his colleagues of EVER STRIVING FOR LEGISLATIVE PERFECTION, ESPECIALLY ON THE EVE OF A MONTH LONG VACATION. Following passage of FISA, Republican Kit Bond of Missouri told the NYT "I CAN SLEEP A LITTLE SAFER TONIGHT." But civil liberties groups claimed the NEW FISA removed protections against potentially abusive spying on ordinary Americans. So Kit Bond is sleeping a little safer tonight. What about ordinary Americans? Should they be sleeping safer tonight?
August 6, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (2)
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This is not the proper way to close congress - scare tactics and unconstructive criticisms. Estimated by the Borgen Project, The United States' current administration has impeded the completion of the Millenium Goals (mainly to battle poverty) with countless amendments against it although it was one of the countries that agreed to it in 2000.
Posted by: Erica | Aug 8, 2007 1:16:53 PM
why did abc show a large crowd of Mitt Romney supporters in Iowa (who only stayed for the video shoot) and only one single Ron Paul supporter. There were far more Ron Paul supporters (that stayed all day in the rain) present.
Posted by: COLE WEBB | Aug 8, 2007 2:03:13 PM
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