Yesterday brought the latest in a series of editorials calling on the U.S. House to pass the Protect America Act. Under the leadership of Senator Mitch McConnell, the Act passed the Senate by a large margin. Even though a bi-partisan majority of the House supports its passage, the House leadership continues to block the Act from coming up for a vote. Without the Protect America Act, U.S. intelligence agencies report they have a degraded capability to track terrorists and prevent future attacks.
From the Washington Times:
After a brief period last week when it appeared that the House Democratic leadership might be preparing to end their obstructionism regarding the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), it's business as usual for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Today, the House is expected to consider a FISA bill crafted by senior Democrats that does not give retroactive liability protection to telecommunications companies that helped monitor the electronic communications of terrorists after September 11. Last month, the Senate voted 68-29 in favor of legislation including such protections, with 19 Democrats voted with the majority. In the House, 21 members of the Blue Dog Coalition signed a letter to Mrs. Pelosi urging passage of the bipartisan Senate bill. Mrs. Pelosi responded by sending the House on a vacation without considering the Senate bill.
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Tomorrow, the speaker plans to send the House on another vacation — this one for two weeks. Her motto seems to be: It ain't over until the terrorists and trial lawyers win.
