Deal Is Likely on Detainees but Not on Eavesdropping

DEAL IS LIKELY ON DETAINEES BUT NOT ON EAVESDROPPING
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Carl Hulse & Kate Zernike]
Congress on Tuesday was headed toward a split decision on President Bush’s pre-election national security agenda, moving closer to passage of legislation on the handling of terrorism suspects while all but giving up hope of agreeing on a final bill to authorize the administration’s eavesdropping program. Lawmakers in both the House and Senate said it now appeared doubtful that bills covering the National Security Agency’s eavesdropping program could pass both houses and be reconciled before Congress adjourns this weekend, an outcome that would deny Republicans one of the main achievements they hoped to take into the election. Representative John A. Boehner, the House majority leader, said the House would still proceed with its own measure this week in hopes of working out disagreements with the Senate after the election.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/27/washington/27detain.html
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* No Compromise On Wiretap Bill
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/26/AR200609...

* CDT Blasts Meaningless Wiretapping "Compromise"
[SOURCE: Center for Democracy and Technology]
CDT on Monday criticized a purported "compromise" on the Cheney-Specter warrantless wiretapping bill that led to three Senators announcing their support for the measure. The changes made to the bill were meaningless. The provisions in the Cheney-Specter measure that threaten to dangerously erode both privacy protections and national security remain very much intact, CDT said in a new Policy Post. CDT maintains that it would be better to do nothing than to pass a measure that not only validates the administration's illegal program of warrantless wiretapping, but also grants broad new snooping powers to future administrations. September 26, 2006
Policy Post: Wiretapping "Compromise": http://www.cdt.org/publications/policyposts/2006/17
Press Release: http://www.cdt.org/press/20060925press.php