Liberals Vow to Undo Changes to Terrorist Surveillance Law

But wait. I thought the Dems controlled both Houses. How come they allowed it to pass in the first place?

Robert Bluey's response to this is:

Democrat leaders in the House and Senate are invoking the threat of “Big Brother” in an attempt to undo the changes Congress made to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) before leaving for August recess.

The modifications, which will expire in just six months, patched the so-called “terrorist loophole” in FISA that was hampering the intelligence community’s collection of information on terrorists in foreign countries. Intelligence agencies were spending critical time seeking court approval for surveillance of foreign persons outside the United States due to outdated provisions in FISA.

Because the new law is only a temporary fix, the Bush Administration could face a steep hurdle to make it permanent. Many of the moderate or Blue Dog Democrats who supported the changes will face pressure from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) when it comes to the floor next time.

Pelosi has already directed Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D.-Mich.) and Intelligence Chairman Silvestre Reyes (D.-Tex.) to draft a new version before the law expires. “Many provisions of this legislation are unacceptable, and, although the bill has a six month sunset clause, I do not believe the American people will want to wait that long before corrective action is taken,” she wrote in an Aug. 4 letter, shortly after the House vote.

We will see if she can strong arm the Blue Dog Dems to accept her vision. Read more from Robert Bluey.