Warrantless Wiretap Bill Stalls

Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis. spoke out against the bill for about a quarter of the Judiciary Committee's two-hour meeting and offered four amendments. Feingold, a possible presidential candidate, said Specter's bill would give the White House too much power to eavesdrop without a warrant in some circumstances. Without a warrant is the key here. NOBODY has said Bush cannot wiretap. He can start his wiretap immediately and has up to 72 hours to get his warrant. Bush wants to wiretap and NEVER get a warrant. This is a blatant attack on the 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. If you disagree I suggest you read the Constitution or find a new home in, say China maybe. From the AP: Eavesdropping Bill Stalls in Committee By LAURIE KELLMAN , 09.07.2006, 01:02 PM President Bush's support proved insufficient to push a bill authorizing his warrantless wiretapping program through the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday. .................. "The president has basically said: I'll agree to let a court decide if I'm breaking the law if you pass a law first that says I'm not breaking the law," Feingold said. "That won't help re-establish a healthy respect for separation of powers. It will only make matters worse." Forced to delay his committee's vote, Specter grumbled that without his legislation the White House would continue its domestic wiretapping program virtually unchecked by the courts. One such measure, backed by a group of moderate Senate Republicans, poses the biggest threat to Specter's bill because it would impose tighter restrictions on the administration's power to wiretap. The House, too, was considering a measure that would impose tougher checks on the president's power. The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer. Henry A. Kissinger