The Week on the Hill

by Jill Smallen and Jason Dick

Sat. Feb. 16, 2008


Intelligence Bills Roil the Hill

Intelligence legislation proved highly controversial this week as the House and Senate prepared to depart for their Presidents' Day recess. At press time, it appeared that a temporary measure extending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act would lapse on February 16 because of a congressional deadlock. On February 12, the Senate voted 68-29 to approve FISA reform legislation that -- unlike a competing House-approved bill -- would provide retroactive legal immunity to telecommunications companies that helped the Bush administration conduct warrantless electronic surveillance on U.S. residents. Then on February 13, House Democratic leaders failed to secure enough votes to extend the temporary law for three more weeks while negotiations continued. Both liberal and conservative Democrats joined forces with Republicans to shoot down the extension, 191-229. President Bush demanded that the House take up the Senate-passed bill, contending, "The time for debate is over. I will not accept any temporary extension." House Republicans walked off the floor on February 14, amid debate on contempt citations against two top White House officials, to protest the Democrats' decision to allow FISA to expire. Meanwhile, the Senate on February 13 voted 51-45 to approve the fiscal 2008 intelligence authorization conference report, including a White House-opposed provision prohibiting the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies from using interrogation techniques not authorized by the Army field manual. The House approved the conference report in December.

-- Chris Strohm/CongressDaily

Lantos Succumbs to Cancer

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos, D-Calif., died February 11 of cancer of the esophagus. He had announced in January that he had cancer and would not seek re-election. The Hungarian-born Lantos, 80, was the only survivor of World War II concentration camps to win election to Congress, and he was a strong advocate for international human rights. First elected to the House in 1980, he became a close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., whose San Francisco district borders his. Pelosi called his death "a profound loss for the Congress and for the nation, and a terrible loss for me personally." Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., who is expected to take over as committee chairman, has usually been a Pelosi loyalist, although he has been more supportive than her of the Iraq war. Democrats are expected to have no problem winning a special election in California this spring to fill Lantos's seat.

-- Richard E. Cohen/National Journal

Two Maryland Incumbents Lose

Democratic Rep. Albert Wynn and Republican Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, two veteran lawmakers whose views on the Iraq war were out of step with their respective parties, on February 12 became the first Maryland incumbents since 1992 to lose in the primary. Democratic lawyer Donna Edwards crushed the eight-term Wynn, 59 percent to 37 percent, after attacking his vote to authorize the Iraq war and his perceived coziness with corporate interests. She drew upon a groundswell of support from liberal blogs and interest groups. Wynn unsuccessfully argued that his moderate record showed he knew how to solve problems in Congress. Meanwhile, GOP state Sen. Andrew Harris defeated Gilchrest, 43 percent to 33 percent. Gilchrest, in his ninth term, had faced mounting conservative criticism for his moderate voting record, including his 2007 vote supporting Democratic-crafted timetables for Iraq troop withdrawals. The Club for Growth financed ads for Harris.

-- Andy Leonatti/CongressDaily

Ethics Panel Admonishes Craig

In a letter of admonition issued to Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, on February 13, the Senate Select Ethics Committee called his behavior in a Minnesota airport bathroom in June and his efforts to evade charges "improper." The stern three-page letter, signed by all six panel members, criticized Craig's decision to try to withdraw his guilty plea. "In our view, you committed the offense to which you pled guilty and you entered your plea knowingly," the letter said. "The conduct to which you pled guilty, together with the related and subsequent conduct discussed in this letter, is improper conduct which has reflected discreditably on the Senate." After Craig's plea became public, he initially announced plans to resign from the Senate, but then attempted to fight the charges and remained in office. He has since said he plans to resign at the end of his term this year.

-- Ben Schneider/CongressDaily

 

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