President Bush rallies for immortal spy law changes, telco protection
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He argues that unless temporary legal changes are made permanent, "our national security professionals will lose critical tools they need to protect our country."
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WASHINGTON - President Bush signed into law Friday the most sweeping changes in US intelligence operations in five decades, aiming to overhaul a system built for the Cold War and adapt it to a new generation of threats brought home by the attacks of Sept
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President Bush said Saturday his newly enacted changes in the nation&#39;s intelligence community will &quot;improve America&#39;s ability to find, track and stop dangerous terrorists
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Civil liberties and media reform group Free Press called on the U.S. Congress to reject bills that would give retroactive legal immunity to telecommunication carriers that helped the government monitor phone calls and e-mail after Vice President Dick Cheney pushed for the legislation.Cheney and the White House this week pushed Congress to extend the surveillance authorization bill, the Protect America Act, which expires on Feb. 1. Cheney, speaking Wednesday at conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation, also called on Congress to grant legal immunity to telecom carriers that participated in a U.S. National Security Agency program that allowed the NSA to intercept communications of some U.S. residents without court authorization.It&#39;s &quot;entirely appropriate&quot; for U.S. intelligence agencies to seek help from private-sector companies, because agencies don&#39;t have the facilities to conduct all the surveillance needed to keep the United States safe, Cheney said in the speech, made available on YouTube.&quot;Some [telecom] providers are facing dozens of lawsuits right now,&quot; Cheney said. &quot;Why? Because they are believed to have aided the U.S. government in the effort to intercept international communications of al Qaeda-related individuals.&quot;Even if the lawsuits are dismissed, defending them will place an &quot;enormous burden&quot; on telecom providers, and the lawsuits could stop other companies from cooperating with U.S. authorities in the future, Cheney added. &quot;Liability protection, retroactive to [the Sept. 11 attacks] is the right thing to do, it&#39;s the right thing to help us prevent another 9/11 down the road,&quot; he said.AT&amp;T and other telecom carriers are being sued in U.S. court in San Francisco by civil liberties groups and individuals who allege that the surveillance program is illegal.Free Press countered Cheney&#39;s remarks by saying telecom carriers should be held accountable for illegal spying.&quot;Phone companies are supposed to deliver our messages, not spy on them,&quot; Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press, said in a statement. &quot;But at every turn, these telco giants trample on basic constitutional principles of privacy and free speech. When you break the law, you should face the consequences.&quot;The lawsuits will show U.S. residents that phone company spying &quot;will not be tolerated,&quot; he added.The American Civil Liberties Union has called the Protect America Act, the &quot;Police America Act.&quot; The legislation &quot;allows for massive, untargeted collection of international communications without court order or meaningful oversight by either Congress or the courts,&quot; the ACLU says on its Web site. &quot;It contains virtually no protections for the U.S. end of the phone call or e-mail, leaving decisions about the collection, mining, and use of Americans&#39; private communications up to this administration.&quot;Sen. Christopher Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat, said Wednesday he&#39;ll block the legislation with a filibuster if it comes to the Senate floor with telecom immunity provisions attached.&quot;Few things are more detrimental to this country than the erosion of and attack on the civil liberties we enjoy,&quot; Dodd said in a statement. &quot;More and more, Americans are rejecting the false choice that has come to define this administration: security or liberty, but never, ever both.&quot;
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President George W. Bush on Friday signed into law the largest overhaul of US intelligence gathering in 50 years, hoping to improve the spy network that failed to prevent the Sept.
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Congress to lick Bush at last? The battle over domestic electronic surveillance returned to prominence last week with fresh hearings in Congress and the usual Cheney administration demagoguery. In a clear attempt to shape the debate, on Wednesday the President took to the bully pulpit at NSA headquarters in Fort Meade to demand that Congress stop pussy-footing around and make the six month FISA statute passed in August permanent. Chop, chop.â¦
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WASHINGTON -- US President George W. Bush signed executive orders yesterday designed to strengthen the CIA director&#39;s power over US intelligence agencies and create a national counter-terrorism centre, responding to election-year pressure to enact changes
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In his final State of the Union address, George W. Bush once again argued for vast expansions of federal wiretap allowances, this time arguing for a re-up of the controversial "Protect America Act" and for legal immunity for the telecom firms that participated in the program.
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President Bush signed executive orders and directives yesterday bolstering the authority of the CIA director over the nation&#39;s intelligence programs and budgets, signaling a renewed effort by
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President Bush pressed the U.S.  Congress on Monday to renew the anti-terrorism law as he  officially welcomed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who was  confirmed despite accusations he sanctioned torture of  terrorism suspects.
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President Bush is planning to reform Social Securtiy
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President Bush stepped up pressure  on Congress on Saturday to approve an overhaul of the nation's  intelligence operations, just two days before lawmakers return  to try again to approve the reforms.
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ANCHORENA PARK, Uruguay  - President Bush pledged swift action on Saturday over findings that the FBI illegally or improperly obtained private records during terrorism and espionage investigations.
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President Bush yesterday urged Congress to pass legislation overhauling the nation&#39;s intelligence operations, saying the reform bill is necessary to &quot;strengthen the safety of our citizens and defend our nation from harm.
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President Bushâs remarks came the morning after the Senate handed the White House a major victory by voting to broaden the governmentâs spy powers.
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With temporary spy law expansion set to expire Feb. 1, the Bush administration is ratcheting up pressure for a broader permanent replacement. Not so fast, say Democratic leaders.
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President Bush on Friday signed legislation setting up the biggest overhaul of US intelligence agencies in a half century and creating a new director of national intelligence demanded after the Sept.