Traitors

It appears that Bill Frist's threat did the trick... The Senate Intelligence Committee (including members like Hagel and Snowe who vowed to "immediately and expeditiously review the use of this practice") voted today NOT to investigate the President's secret warrantless wiretapping program. Cowards. Traitors. All of them.

The Founders fought the world's mightiest empire to obtain our independence... these people couldn't even stand up to the 34% approval rating President and the Senator who (mis)diagnosed a woman from an old VHS tape. If they could only see us now. Somewhere, Thomas Jefferson is rolling over in his slave.

In lieu of, ya know, fulfilling their constitutional obligations, the Committee has instead decided on a 'compromise'... one which, of course, mostly benefits the White House and subjugates Congress to a mere rubberstamp role. In a deal worked out in advance with Vice President Cheney, proposed legislation would create a seven-member "terrorist surveillance subcommittee". Sound Orwellian enough? Here is a description of what this new subcommittee would do, from the NY Times-

The agreement would reinforce the authority of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which was created in 1978 to issue special warrants for spying but was sidestepped by the administration. The measure would require the administration to seek a warrant from the court whenever possible.

If the administration elects not to do so after 45 days, the attorney general must certify that the surveillance is necessary to protect the country and explain to the subcommittee why the administration has not sought a warrant. The attorney general would be required to give an update to the subcommittee every 45 days.

(Bolded added by me)

So in nutshell, the Administration broke the law and then lied about it and now Congress is gonna work with them on the Administration's terms. The Committee is giving the Administration carte blanche to spy as it pleases, as long as they promise to (occassionally) let someone know what's going on (somewhat). They are, in effect, legalizing illegality.

The White House is therefore allowed to continue ordering surveillance without warrants. But for 45 days only. And only getting warrants wherever possible- hey don't go out of your way now. Except the White House doesn't have to even obey that, as long as Alberto Gonzales (a trustworthy man through and through) assures them it's all good.

"We are reasserting Congressional responsibility and oversight", Sen. Snowe said with a straight face.

"The committee is, to put it bluntly, basically under the control of the White House," said Senator Rockefeller, getting more to the point.

Glenn Greenwald once again sums up the situation succinctly-

Nobody who has lived outside of a cave for the last five years could possibly be surprised by any of this. One of the reason we are at the point we're at in our country -- where we have a President who not only breaks the law but claims he has the right to do so, while the media barely finds any of it worthy of much attention -- is because the Congress has completely abdicated its responsibilities at the altar of cult-like obedience to White House decrees. That's just one of the many rotted roots in our government.

What he said.

You know, I guess I was being too optimistic, because I really did believe the Committee would vote in favor of investigation in the end. Specter's Judiciary Committee seems fairly committed to looking into this, so why wouldn't the Intelligence Committee want to fully investigate a secret spying program that violates the law? I also foolishly believed that the White House's threats would only further the resolve of some on the Committee (ie. Hagel and others) to stand up for checks and balances and the rule of law.

I was wrong.

Let this be a reminder to those who thought we still lived in a nation of laws... we do not. We live in a land ruled by an all-powerful Executive who wages war as he sees fit, tortures those in his imprisonment, spies on his citizens, bankrupts the treasury with reckless abandon, vacations while entire cities are ruined, bullies the press and other branches of government, and uses fear to control the populace. Think this is hyperbole? Think again. This is really the situation we find ourselves in and every day I wish we were just imagining it.

In encouraging news, Gonzales' 'clarifications' may have earned him a return trip to the Judiciary Committee.

"Help us, Senate Judiciary Committee. You're our only hope."

[PS- In related news, the House has renewed the Patriot Act. Go democracy.]