[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2588]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




ON FISA, PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICANS PLAY POLITICS WITH NATIONAL SECURITY

  (Mr. PERLMUTTER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. PERLMUTTER. Good morning, Mr. Speaker.
  The Bush administration continues a daily drumbeat of fearmongering 
on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, wiretapping, despite its 
own admission over the weekend that it has access and authority to 
continue all surveillance.
  The U.S. intelligence community has expansive authorizations for 
wide-ranging surveillance limited by each American's right to privacy. 
If any new surveillance needs to begin, the FISA Court can approve a 
request within minutes. But National Security Director Mike McConnell 
says President Bush is holding up a compromise on FISA legislation 
because he wants to give blanket immunity to telecommunications 
companies who turned over information about their customers. Once 
again, President Bush is putting the biggest corporations first and 
shrinking the constitutional rights we all enjoy as Americans.
  We can protect this country and the Constitution at the same time, 
and that's precisely what the Democratic majority will do.

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