Leahy vows to fight Bush, guard U.S. privacy rights
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The incoming Democratic chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee promised on Wednesday to combat what he denounced as President George W. Bush's war-time trampling of American rights.
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The top two Democrats in the  Congress vowed on Wednesday to work with President Bush, but  also slammed him on key issues like Iraq and his bid to revamp  the Social Security retirement program.
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President Bush sought to smooth over differences with Sen. John McCain on Thursday by promising to take legal action to stop political ads by outside groups, including those attacking the war record of Bush's Democratic presidential rival, John Kerry.
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President Bush vowed on Friday the United States will not be intimidated by a pre-election warning from Osama Bin Laden and called Democrat John Kerry "shameful" for accusing him of bungling the search for the al Qaeda leader.
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The Bush administration opposed in U.S. court on Friday an effort to peel back a secrecy lid over its domestic counterterrorism wiretapping program, which critics say infringes on privacy and rights.
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The top two Democrats in the U.S. Congress vowed on Wednesday to work with President Bush when possible, but ripped into him on two central issues -- Iraq and his bid to revamp the Social Security retirement program.
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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid vowed on Wednesday to block former U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson from becoming attorney general if President George W. Bush nominates him to replace Alberto Gonzales.
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President Bush today called on Congress to make permanent a law that gives the government broad authority to eavesdrop without warrants on phone calls, e-mail and other communication between people in the United States and suspected terrorists abroad.
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President Bush on Friday will sign a series of executive orders giving the CIA director some of the authority envisioned by the Sept.
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President Bush is striking twin themes for a second term, vowing to fight hard for his political agenda while reaching across the aisle to Democrats.
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President Bush vowed on Friday the United States will not be intimidated by a pre-election warning from Osama Bin Laden and called Democrat John Kerry &quot;shameful&quot; for
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The nation&#39;s top telecommunications regulator said yesterday he will push -- before the next president is inaugurated -- to protect fledgling Internet telephone
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With a deadline looming, President Bush and congressional Democrats are locked in a standoff over the government's authority to spy on foreign phone calls and e-mails that pass through the United States.
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The Republican congressman chosen by President Bush to head the CIA sought on Tuesday to assure Democrats that he would leave politics behind and lead the spy agency in a nonpartisan manner.
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Democrats vowed on Saturday to protect the Social Security retirement program from &quot;privatization&quot; by US President George W. Bush and his Republican allies, who expanded their congressional majorities in elections this week.
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Bush says congressional leaders are endangering Americans by letting a wiretap law expire. His political foes defend the inaction and say they're searching for compromise.
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(InfoWorld) - Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates asked the U.S. Congress to pass a comprehensive privacy law this year, allowing consumers to control how their personal information is used. Gates repeated past Microsoft calls for a wide-ranging privacy law during a speech at advocacy group the Center for Democracy and Technology's (CDT) annual gala dinner Wednesday. A comprehensive privacy bill should allow consumers to control their personal data, should provide transparency about what their data is used for, and should notify them when their data has been compromised, Gates said. Gates said he believes the U.S. can achieve a balance between privacy and protecting the country against terrorists and other criminals. But the balance will not be an easy one to create, Gates said. While many U.S. residents would say they want as much privacy "as possible," law enforcement needs to be able to track criminals, Gates said. "These privacy issues are not as easy as you might think," he told the crowd. Gates hinted that some privacy protections can go so far that they become annoying to consumers. He talked about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), passed by Congress in 1996, which puts strict controls on the release of information. HIPAA too often asks patients to sign documents allowing the release of their medical records, he said. HIPAA is evidence "we don't always get it right the first time," Gates said. "All I know is I keep signing those forms." Another balance Congress needs to strike is between emerging technologies and privacy, said Senator Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Leahy also called on Congress to pass a privacy law. But a privacy law cannot restrict new technologies, Leahy said. "I don't want to stop the technologies, I want to protect our privacy," he during the gala dinner. "I think we can do both." The U.S. government spying on its residents is of particular concern, Leahy said. "I don't want to put a brake on technology, but on what my government can learn about me without letting me know," he said. Leahy and Gates both said they have great hopes for the future of the Internet. "The Internet is a great tool," Leahy said. "Let's keep it a free tool." The world is just at the beginning of the potential of the Internet coupled with personal computers, Gates added. Coming advances in storage, in bandwidth and in user-created content will make the Internet and even greater tool for democratic ideals, he said. "We're just at the very beginning," he said.