Pelosi and Herseth-Sandlin Obstruct National Security Legislation

It has now been a month since certain Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act provisions expired, making it harder for our intelligence agencies to gather information on suspected terrorists overseas.  The Senate has long since reauthorized the key FISA provisions, but the House, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has thwarted efforts to restore terrorist surveillance.  Clifford May nicely summarizes:

But Pelosi has continued to block House members from voting on an additional measure – a compromise bill, passed by a bipartisan 68 to 29 majority in the Senate -- to restore to American intelligence agencies the authority they formerly had to monitor foreign terrorist suspects abroad without first demonstrating “probable cause” to a judge -- a difficult standard to meet since many of those planning terrorism have not yet committed any crime.

The bill also would protect telecommunications companies from being sued for billions of dollars by plaintiffs’ lawyers for the “crime” of having cooperated with American intelligence agencies in the aftermath of 9/11/01. The telecoms provided data that could be “mined” for clues of coming attacks. 

Although quite a few Democrats in the House apparently would support this commonsense legislation, only a few have been willing to let Speaker Pelosi know, in no uncertain terms, that they want to be allowed to cast their votes.

Last week the House did pass its own version of FISA reform, but left out immunity for telecommunications companies, ensuring that neither the Senate nor the president will support the bill. Without immunity for telecommunications companies the law is moot; the government depends on the cooperation of telecoms, but without immunity the potential legal costs are too threatening for telecoms to cooperate. All but twelve Democrats voted for this weaker bill, with all Republicans voting against.  Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin voted with her leadership, as she has continuously done on this issue.

While are Nancy Pelosi, Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin and the most of the House Democratic Caucus so intransigent on this issue?  This cartoon, via Powerline, gives one possible answer: