Spy chief: Expanded U.S. snooping law aided German terror arrests

WASHINGTON--A recent expansion of U.S. eavesdropping law helped lead to the high-profile arrest of three terrorism suspects in Germany last week, the nation's intelligence director told senators on Monday.

Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell credited Congress's much-criticized update of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act last month with making "significant contributions" that ultimately allowed the U.S. government to aid German investigators. The apprehensions targeted what were described as Islamic militants plotting attacks against sites regularly visited by Americans.

McConnell spoke at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing here, which was designed to assess threats against the United States and the state of the government's various antiterrorism operations on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks. Alongside him were Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, National Counterterrorism Center head John Redd and FBI Director Robert Mueller.

The top intelligence coordinator warned senators that the nation will "lose 50 percent of our ability to track, understand and know what terrorists are doing" if Congress fails to enshrine permanently the legal changes, which broadened the National Security Agency's power to eavesdrop on phone calls, e-mail messages and other Internet traffic with limited court oversight.

The controversial new law, which also shields from court action private companies--such as telecommunications firms--that aid in government surveillance going forward, was set to expire six months after its passage. McConnell made a pitch Monday not only for extending the current law but for adding a provision that would grant retroactive immunity to the private sector, which has been the subject of a number of high-profile lawsuits currently pending in federal court.

House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have threatened to hold off on renewing or further expanding the law until they've been given more information about how the Bush administration's various surveillance programs work. But, perhaps in an attempt to appear tough on terrorists on the eve of an emotional anniversary, there was no such talk on Monday.

"That is very compelling testimony," Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Ct.), the committee's chairman, told McConnell after he offered up his assessment of the law's helpfulness in terror cases. He and his colleagues from both parties repeatedly praised the four administration officials for what they perceived as vital service to the country.

Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), said he, too, was "encouraged to hear" that the so-called Protect America Act had helped in the German case, adding that he had "taken a fair amount of flak from folks concerned about...abuses of civil liberties" prompted by the legislation. Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and the Cato Institute have argued that the law was a result of fear-mongering by the Bush administration and unjustifiably expanded the government's authority to engage in warrantless wiretapping.

"Any flak you received was wholly undeserved," Lieberman said.

[lampietheclown]

Not much of a return on our "ability"

QUOTE: "The top intelligence coordinator warned senators that
the nation will "lose 50 percent of our ability to track,
understand and know what terrorists are doing" if Congress fails
to enshrine permanently the legal changes..."

So I guess it stands to reason that when the law was enacted it
doubled our ability to "track, understand and know what
terrorists are doing"?
It doubled our ability, but all they have to show for it is that it
helped Germany arrest 3 guys? It didn't even help the US arrest
anyone?

I'd say that for doubling our ability, we should see a more
marked improvement, unless we were already getting all the
useful information. At that point doubling our ability would not
increase our intelligence, and the end result would be... I'll go
out on a limb here and make a wild guess...

3 guys in Germany, getting caught by Germans, for breaking
German laws?

This is why we're trashing our country's ideals?

OR MAYBE...

It's possible that the government broke several laws, and talked
companies like AT&T into letting them do illegal wiretaps, before
there was a law. The increase in intelligence would have come
much earlier, and that's why there has been no noticeable
increase in results. That would also explain the push for
retroactive immunity to the private sector.

So either we trashed the Constitution and didn't get anything for
it, or we trashed the Constitution to cover the assets of a bunch
of law breaking civil servants (and soon, AT&T).

Personally, I think that we would be better off suffering a dozen
911 attacks, and keeping our ideals, our freedom, and our
rights, but I doubt it would come to that. We've had worse from
better. We fought, survived, won, and destroyed the enemy. We
could do it again if we were serious about it. Right now our
government isn't.

I can understand going to war to protect our ideals, our rights,
our freedom, our way of life.

I can not understand giving up our ideals, our rights, our
freedom and our way of life, to be more efficient warriors.

LtheC

[hogendobler]

So go all the way

Why would it be "news" that increase surveillance should increase the likelihood of catching criminals. If we bugged every conversation, put wiretaps on every phone, and video cameras in every bedroom, I'm sure the government could do a crack job of catching every crime ever committed. Is that the best America can do?

[HiF|yer]

Now we know why elBushko kissed Lieberman on his bald forehead...

Looserman always plays the lapdog to power. Dems don't want him and goppers didn't nominate him.

I'm waiting for the German government to disclose what parts of the anti-civil liberty, anti-US Constitution, privacy-invading-without-the-advice-of -the-judicial-branch, aided in this months'-long investigation. We all know instinctively that it is another stinkin' lie from the most unpopular, un-elected ba$**** in the history of the republic. You're doing a great job, Brownie!

[aka_tripleB]

With one judge alread declaring parts of the Patriot Act is illegal

How can McConnell really expect congress to really expand what the government without court approval? And I'm almost certain that a law or act can't give immunity from breaking other laws. If this gets passed, we need to light a fire under someone's ass to get the dictators out of office before the "land of the free" becomes one giant prison.

[Dalkorian]

Dumb enough to buy this?

Funny, I saw the following in an article on the Washington Post:

"Under questioning by senators, McConnell suggested that U.S.
intelligence on the men was enhanced by a controversial
measure approved by Congress last month. The law, signed by
President Bush on Aug. 5, gave U.S. spy agencies greater
freedom to eavesdrop on overseas calls without a warrant, even
when those calls are routed through phone lines and cables on
U.S. soil.

But other U.S. officials confirmed that the German cell was
discovered last October, more than 10 months before the law
was adopted."

(Source article: <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/
content/article/2007/09/10/AR2007091002141.html?
nav=rss_print/asection>)

So, fuhrer Bush wants us to be stupid enough to believe that this
new snooping law is so necessary that it can even catch people
10 months before it was passed. Don't think about it, just buy
the spin.

And whatever you do, don't get dizzy.