How Hoyer got the deal done
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- House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer shepherded a set of FISA amendments through the House last week. John Shinkle
In a tense moment during negotiations over the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Act, Sen. Kit Bond — the ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee — said that his side of the aisle could never accept one of the proposals the Democrats were pushing.
According to Democratic insiders, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer abruptly stopped the meeting and said that, if a deal was made, no one would get more grief than he would.
Hoyer was right about that.
The Maryland Democrat shepherded a set of FISA amendments through the House last week — winning praise from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and even some in his party to who opposed the deal — but now finds himself subjected to a barrage of criticism from his party’s left.
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) called the House bill a “capitulation.” Firedoglake.com blogger Jane Hamsher — delivering the lowest possible blow from the liberal blogosphere — declared Hoyer “the new Joe Lieberman.”
Hoyer knew it was coming, and he persevered anyway. That he did so speaks volumes about who he is: a master of cloakroom politics who can use his friendships across the aisle to strike deals, even if others demand that his party hew closer to the positions that put it in power in 2006.
In an interview with Politico on Monday, Hoyer called the FISA legislation a “significant victory” for the Democratic Party — one that neutralized an issue Republicans might have been able to use against Democrats in November while still, in his view, protecting the civil liberties of American citizens.
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Hoyer said that House Democrats succeeded in dialing back some of the provisions contained in the earlier, Senate-passed version of the FISA legislation. While the Senate bill provided retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies that participated in President Bush’s warrantless surveillance program, Hoyer noted that the House version mandates judicial review of the companies’ actions. Legal experts and congressional opponents argue that such review will ultimately be meaningless.
Hoyer was clearly the driving force in the months of arduous discussions over the FISA rewrite, holding numerous sessions with Bond, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas), Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) and senior Bush administration officials such as White House chief of staff Josh Bolten.
Hoyer said he discussed the issue several times with Bush himself, most recently at a White House reception, but that he never got into specifics in the talks with the president.
According to several Democratic insiders, Hoyer was able to keep the talks going by pointing out that he, more than anyone else in the room, was taking a huge political risk by trying to reach a deal. The Democratic leader in the House was also able to bridge the rancor between the two main Senate negotiators and their respective aides, joking frequently during tense negotiations and keeping the conversation going despite an obvious animosity in the room, aides said. Similarly, Hoyer and staff worked closely with his friend Blunt to make sure both sides kept in close contact in the House.
Readers' Comments (56)
NotAWhinyLib Party: Independent
Reply #1
Jun. 24, 2008 - 6:14 AM EST
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NotAWhinyLib Party: Independent
Reply #2
Jun. 24, 2008 - 6:20 AM EST
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Bummr50 Party: Libertarian
Reply #3
Jun. 24, 2008 - 6:30 AM EST
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pdawv Party: NA
Reply #4
Jun. 24, 2008 - 7:52 AM EST
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Liberaltarian? Party: Democrat
Reply #5
Jun. 24, 2008 - 7:53 AM EST
It's nice to know that some politicians known the meaning of the word compromise!
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rodreifus Party: Democrat
Reply #6
Jun. 24, 2008 - 8:37 AM EST
The left my rear end. This is another case of the US congress allowing George Bush and company to assult the basic rights of the American electorate and then walk away with impunity. The body is out of contrrol and not acountable to the American electorate in any way shape or fun. Glenn Beck of CNN may just be right congress will be responsive to the American Public when the guns come out and are used on them.
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ConservativeinMinnes... Party: Conservative
Reply #7
Jun. 24, 2008 - 8:39 AM EST
Rep. Hoyer while leaning left of center is still a smart guy, he saw all of the intelligence gathered and probably knew not 1 americans civil rights were violated. If there had been a situation where this had occurred don't you think the friends of America at the ACLU would of had the issue in court by now? You folks on the left are so concerned with freedom and liberty provided its your guy doing the providing, this was all about giving telecommunications companies immunity from LAWSUITS, who is for getting SUED? Terrorists abroad, using communications to do us harm, and we'd like to know about it, what's so wrong with that? While I'm not a huge fan of our current POTUS, I will give him credit for protecting us from another attack, that being said, come on Libs, move on, the rest of the country feels better about this decision. Next argument please. Good Luck.
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Vern the Worm Party: N/A
Reply #8
Jun. 24, 2008 - 8:43 AM EST
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shkogan Party: Republican
Reply #9
Jun. 24, 2008 - 8:46 AM EST
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RENEA Party: NA
Reply #10
Jun. 24, 2008 - 9:12 AM EST
Hoyer did not strike deal.He sold out the Rule of Law,the Constitution and every American citizen.All that was needed to update FISA was to address the e-mails issue.This bill also expands the power of the President. That is power I do not want any President to have no matter what party they are from!This deal would allow any company to do any thing they wanted to do to at any time to every citizen just because the President said was OK!THAT IS ********!
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DofG Party: Independent
Reply #11
Jun. 24, 2008 - 9:32 AM EST
Politicians are practical, and so are weasels! When Man enact laws that are not rooted in the immutablitity of Cosmic Law, he is like a ship at sea, with no sail, and no rudder! This results in unending, multiplicitous relativism, where the law gives deference to the moment, and those few who presume substantive power to the detriment of the "many". This also gives rise to a system, perverted by the ignorance of its own standing in Nature, making it necessary to create thousands of laws, a thousand compromises, and a thousand lawyers to become their advocate, or their adversary! Throughout its history, the congress has never truly understood that liberty, especially in ignorance, can never take liberties without the counsel of Natural Law, for it is that platform from which all things exist and function. The congress, when voiding its own laws, and constitutional responsibility for the sake of political expediency, sets into motion an incalculable series ramifications, and unintended consequences exacted by the application of Natural Law. Anyone, with any objectivity, can see the results of these misapplications of Law in almost every aspect of American life.Freedom is not free from the laws of Nature! Yes, they got it "done". But in the blindness of collective ego, and self-serving politics, what was actually done? Only the omniscience of Nature knows.
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tothepoint Party: Conservative
Reply #12
Jun. 24, 2008 - 9:54 AM EST
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wheresthebeef Party: NA
Reply #13
Jun. 24, 2008 - 11:01 AM EST
Absolutely correct, sir! The Democrats in Congress have done a peachy job of keeping George from doing anything illegal thusfar. Held his widdle footsies to the fire, they have. Monitored him more closely than a virgin on prom night. Why, the guy can't even start an illegal war without having Congress call him up on charges. ARE YOU ****ING KIDDING ME?
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dhickey Party: Conservative
Reply #14
Jun. 24, 2008 - 11:07 AM EST
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tehehehe Party: Republican
Reply #15
Jun. 24, 2008 - 11:21 AM EST
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JTSpangler Party: Democrat
Reply #16
Jun. 24, 2008 - 11:36 AM EST
Congress has become a complicit co-conspirator in the unconstitutional deal the Bush administration struck with telecoms, whose counsel must have expressed serious doubts about any assurances that wholesale interceptions of data without a statutorily required FISA warrant were legal. Political compromise _is_ capitulation when it is placed above the organic law of the land. Hoyer, Reid and Pelosi are unprincipled hacks whose leadership is undeserved.
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exhuming mccarthy Party: NA
Reply #17
Jun. 24, 2008 - 11:55 AM EST
Can someone answer two questions please: 1) are there any republicans or conservatives who are unhappy with this deal? My Hoyer states that compromise makes both sides unhappy, but I haven't seen anyone on the right display any displeasure with this bill. 2) What concessions did Hoyer get from the republicans in this compromise? How is it better than what is currently in place?
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cason03 Party: NA
Reply #18
Jun. 24, 2008 - 12:01 PM EST
You don't **** about how terrorists operate! You are just a MINDLESS, UNEDUCATED, DO NOTHING, LOSER, BIGOT like chicago paul, notawhinylib and others who can't put together a coherent post that includes fact or relevancy! All you want to do is complain and spew hate. You people are so dumb! And you're HYPOCRITES to boot. If the government were to limit the scope of the second amendment you'd be all up in arms about that wouldn't you?
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DCIndependent Party: Independent
Reply #19
Jun. 24, 2008 - 12:17 PM EST
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NomDePlume2008 Party: NA
Reply #20
Jun. 24, 2008 - 12:21 PM EST
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Read all 56 comments in our forumHoyer obviously puts the National Security above politics when it comes to decision time. the Dems have milked this issure for all the political "gain' they can , but now its time to get real and do what they all knew was the right thing all along. I guess a pat on the back is due to Mr Hoyer.
We all know if anything truly illegal was done the Dem congress would have Bush's head on a platter and he'd be in an impeachment trial by now.
My Gawd look what happened when politics were played with the energy problem.
Do we want to play more games with National Security?
If we do 5 buck a gallon gas will be the least of our problems....
Barbara Lee is a certifiable nut...
As are many far left liberals who are elected by intellectual midgets.
I wonder of other members of the House play with Dennis Kucinich's brain for fun.
ChicagoPaul - way to stay on topic. NotAWhinyLib- First, prove to me that this legislation is needed at all. Second, nice job of raising the level of debate with personal attacks. It's always a brilliant idea to personally insult the majority of voters in 129 Congressional districts. Intellectual midgets indeed. (pssssst- personal attacks tend to be the argument of choice for intellectual midgets and judging by your first post you're not one.) Bummer50- Of course they don't play with Kucinich's brain. They might learn something.
In an interview with Politico on Monday, Hoyer called the FISA legislation a “significant victory” for the Democratic Party — one that neutralized an issue Republicans might have been able to use against Democrats in November.
That sums it up folks. It's no longer what's best for America, It's all about self interest and what's best for the party. At times I feel like I'm watching a Sunday NFL game where only one team can win the "game"
Even if the Democrats in the Senate pass the Hoyer FISA bill, it still will not change the facts. The Democrats see the War on Terror as a Criminal police problem. Obama's naive conception that we should give Foreign Terrorists the same constitutional rights and protections as American Citizens is dangerous to the security of the United States of America.
The facts of Obama's statement that the system worked and the Terrorist are in Jail are ignorant of the actual facts. The NY Post yesterday pointed out that the leader of the first World Trade Center Attack, Abdul Rahman Yasin was released from custody because of insufficient evidence; he fled to Iraq where Sadam Hussein gave him save haven for almost a decade. The spiritual leader and the head of the Terrorists Cell in New Jersey which carried out the first World Trade Center Bombing, Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman continued his Terrorist Jihad activities from Jail. His lawyer, Lynne Stewart, was convicted of passing on orders from Abdel-Rahman from jail to his Jihadists in the United States and Egypt. Then there is the fact that we never caught up with Khalid Sheik Mohammed until after he planed the 911 attack which killed 3500 Americans.
These are the same people who did not understand that the first Terrorist act on American soil was the murder of Rabbi Meir Kahanne in Brooklyn. Kahannie's murder was part of the same cell controlled by Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman. Abdel-Rahman decided to challenge the United States Justice system and ordered the death of Rabbi Kahanne, a controversial right wing leader in Israel. What they found out was that the prejudice within certain communities in the United States, and the sympathy that they can generate for their terrorist agenda, would negate American law. Kahanne's murder was acquitted on the murder charges and is only sitting in jail because the Federal Government was able to prosecute him in Federal Court on other charges.
Finally let us not forget that it was the Clinton Administration?s Justice Department which forbid the intelligence agencies and the FBI and other law enforcement share information about possible terrorist activates in the United States. That is what led to the intelligence brake down that allowed 911 to happen and led us into Iraq. The Democrats have no clue on what to do to protect this nation.
Bush beats Congress again!
Lame duck?
Think again!
Steny Hoyer, Nancy Pelosi, desperate to make this congress look like they are doing something- yeah, caving in.
George Bush beats the democrat controlled congress again!!!!!!
Next up drilling in ANWR!
"The left my rear end. This is another case of the US congress allowing George Bush and company to assult the basic rights of the American electorate and then walk away with impunity. "
I love it when Libs talk about basic rights. The same people that have no problem telling us where and how to educate our kids, what cars to drive, what to do on private property, and take 40% of our incomes. Cracks me up every time.
I would also like to see evidense of assults on the American electorate. What specific instance was FISA used to harm or persecute an law abiding American citizen?
Once again the Democrats, after all their partisanship and pontificating, have concluded that the FISA needs updating, that electronic surveilence is necessary to protect the US, and that the action that Bush took to protect America were prudent even if challengable as to "legality".
In the end, they vindicated Bush and had to admit that no one's civil rights had been violated or misused by the Administration as so many had alledged! Hoyer drove as hard a bargain as he could, but he had few cards and failing to pass a FISA reform was hurting his party!
The "extreme-left" of the Democrratic Party lost, but they were the only losers. The Public won. The Republicans won. The President won. Even the mainstream Democrats won (they supported the bill a long time ago). But passing this bill took a huge weapon away from the "screaming left" because now it is hard to argue that "Bush violated teh Constitution" by using electronic surveilance. They are hopping mad! They feel betrayed. All of their arguments have been undermined and their conservative critics are hooting. The "progressives" are snarling and making obscene noises like a cat who has just been given a bath! Its funny to watch!
The real bottom line is that soon, as soon as the legislation is passed, the American people will be safer than they have been for almost 10 months! Everyone but socialist ideologues should be celebrating!
Hoyer is piece of crap for even supporting this deal. As matter of fact, anyone who supported this deal needs a swift kick in the ass, and if this should include Obama too...then so be it! But he should be smarter than to support this. Hell, he better be!
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OK this was bipartisan cooperation, kudos to Hoyer for working with the GOP on a good piece of legislation.
That sort of cooperation was what the Democrats got elected on, good to see at least a little of it after 2 years of Democrat majority.