Conyers: It's a Sad Day

Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) and congresswoman Jane Harmon (D-CA) have introduced the "Lawful Intelligence and Surveillance of Terrorists in an Emergency by NSA Act" (.pdf file) according to Raw Story, in response to the new revealtions about the NSA collection of phone records of 'tens of millions' of Americans.

The Act would require any attempt to listen in on Americans or collect telephone or e-mail records to be be conducted in accordance with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA), or Title III of the criminal code. In both cases, court warrants based on probable cause are required. The Act states that FISA is the exclusive way to conduct electronic surveillance of U.S. persons on U.S. soil for intelligence purposes.

It also explicitly states that the Authorization to Use Military Force, passed by Congress in October 2002, did not constitute authority to engage in electronic surveillance outside of FISA.

I wonder how many Dems will step up to the plate to support that bill.

"It is a sad day when the Congress of the United States must compel the President to abide by the Constitution," said Congressman Conyers, the Ranking Member on the House Committee on the Judiciary. "I regret that we have to legislate once again on an issue that was clearly settled by this Congress nearly 30 years ago in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act."

Congressman Conyers added, "This legislation could not be more timely. Today's USA Today article made clear that the Administration's eavesdropping is larger than anyone imagined and sweeps in the activities of millions of innocent Americans. If this Congress does not rein in the President and his Administration now, there is no telling how far it will go."

They'll go as far as the rubber stamp Republican congress will let them, which we all know by now extends to 'infinity and beyond'.