August 13, 2007

McConnell Key to Expanded Surveillance Powers

Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, viscerally objected to a Democratic proposal to limit warrantless surveillance of foreigners' communications with Americans to instances in which one party was a terrorism suspect. McConnell wanted no such limits. The Bush administration leveraged Democratic acquiescence into a broader victory: congressional approval of a Republican bill that would expand surveillance powers far beyond what Democratic leaders had initially been willing to accept.

How the Fight for Vast New Spying Powers Was Won, Washington Post, August 12, 2007.