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House OKs Compromise Intelligence Bill

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The Washington Post

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 21, 2008

WASHINGTON - The House, in an overwhelming bipartisan vote, approved a sweeping surveillance law Friday that extends the government's eavesdropping capability and effectively shields telecommunications companies from being sued for cooperating with the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program.

Ending a yearlong battle with President Bush, the House passed, with a 293-129 vote, an overhaul of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

The bill provides a legal avenue for AT&T, Verizon Communications and other telecommunications firms to ward off about 40 lawsuits alleging that they violated customers' privacy by helping the government conduct a warrantless spying program after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Before the vote, Bush said the plan, which is expected to clear the Senate next week, would help thwart new terrorist attacks. "It's vital that our intelligence community has the ability to learn who the terrorists are talking to, what they're saying and what they are planning," he said.

Only one Republican opposed the bill, but Democrats were sharply divided. The legislation also presented a foreign policy dilemma for Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. The party's presumptive presidential nominee announced his support of the bill despite active opposition to it from the liberal activist base that has financially fueled his campaign.

"Given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay. So I support the compromise, but do so with a firm pledge that as president, I will carefully monitor the program," Obama said in a statement.

Sen. John McCain, Ariz., the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, supports the legislation.

Democrats have resisted passing a new foreign intelligence law since last summer and implemented a temporary act that expired in August. They demanded more information about the warrantless wiretapping program that the administration pursued for years after the terrorist attacks. After four months of negotiations, the bill gives intelligence agencies most of what they had been seeking.

The agreement gives telecom companies the ability to have privacy lawsuits thrown out if they demonstrate to a federal judge that they received written assurance from the Bush administration that the spying was legal.

The bill requires the secret foreign intelligence court's approval of procedures for intercepting foreigners' e-mails and phone calls. Spying on U.S. citizens, including those overseas, would require individual warrants from the court.

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