Instead of passing reasonable legislation to modernize FISA and to
provide our security agencies the tools they need to defeat those who
want to harm us, the House Majority Leadership is playing fast and loose
with American security in order to score a few cheap political points.
If Senate Democrats and Republicans were able to agree on the
legislation the House Majority Leadership should be able to as well.
Twenty-one members of the so-called Blue Dog Democrats even wrote a
letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) prior to the vote, urging
her to support the Senate version of the legislation.
There is no excuse for the behavior of the House Majority Leadership
other than the fact that they want something to take with them on the
campaign trail during an election year. Oh yes, and they want to allow
trial lawyers the freedom to file costly lawsuits against
telecommunications companies. At least we know what the House Majority
Leadership wants to protect - not American citizens but the pocketbooks
of trial lawyers and other special-interest groups which would be
involved in such frivolous lawsuits.