Senate OKs Spying Program

Dems bow to White House on warrantless wiretapping bill, will revisit in 6 months
By Sam Biddle,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 4, 2007 8:12 AM CDT
Senate OKs Spying Program
President Bush, right, accompanied by Vice President Dick Cheney, makes comments after meeting with the Counterterrorism Team, Friday, Aug. 3, 2007, at the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)   (Associated Press)

The Senate voted last night to temporarily extend the government's controversial surveillance program, the Washington Post reports. The contentious 60-28 vote, a  concession to the White House by Democrats, will allow for the continued interception of electronic communication between Americans and overseas parties without  a court order. The measures will be reconsidered in 6 months.

President Bush threatened to hold the Senate into an emergency summer session until the GOP bill was approved, a clear message to Dems who had dragged their feet over provisions they consider too broad. "We're at war. The enemy wants to attack us," countered Sen. Joe Lieberman. "This is not the time to strive for legislative perfection." (More NSA stories.)

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