How Nancy Pelosi Saved the NSA Surveillance Program

[HiPointDem]

The obituary of Rep. Justin Amash's amendment to claw back the sweeping powers of the National Security Agency has largely been written as a victory for the White House and NSA chief Keith Alexander, who lobbied the Hill aggressively in the days and hours ahead of Wednesday's shockingly close vote. But Hill sources say most of the credit for the amendment's defeat goes to someone else: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. It's an odd turn, considering that Pelosi has been, on many occasions, a vocal surveillance critic.

But ahead of the razor-thin 205-217 vote, which would have severely limited the NSA's ability to collect data on Americans' telephone records if passed, Pelosi privately and aggressively lobbied wayward Democrats to torpedo the amendment, a Democratic committee aid with knowledge of the deliberations tells The Cable.

"Pelosi had meetings and made a plea to vote against the amendment and that had a much bigger effect on swing Democratic votes against the amendment than anything Alexander had to say," said the source, keeping in mind concerted White House efforts to influence Congress by Alexander and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. "Had Pelosi not been as forceful as she had been, it's unlikely there would've been more Democrats for the amendment."

With 111 liberal-to-moderate Democrats voting for the amendment alongside 94 Republicans, the vote in no way fell along predictable ideological fault lines. And for a particular breed of Democrat, Pelosi's overtures proved decisive, multiple sources said.

But despite the minority leader's instrumental role in swaying the vote, you won't find her taking credit: She's busy protecting her left flank from liberal supporters of Amash's amendment -- some of whom openly booed her at last month's Netroots Nation conference where she defended President Obama's NSA surveillance program.

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/07/25/how_nancy_pelosi_saved_the_nsa_surveillance_program

[cantbeserious]

1. Killing The Constitution Softly

eom

[Fumesucker]

2. Nancy SMASH!

[Helen Borg]

3. Wow. They must have something on her.

That's part of the problem, isn't it?

[Civilization2]

4. yeah, they know she works for power.,

It is easy to get people to do what you want when you offer them p o w e r.

[John2]

8. I don't think

that is the case. I think Nancy Pelosi is pretty loyal to President Obama and probably wanted to help him. She is probably regretting it now. The President needs to decide if he wants to be a Democrat or Republican. He is the one continuing the Neocon Policies. With Regime change, right on down to Guantanamo. Nancy Pelosi is OK. I think she just prides herself in getting things done. You got to give her some slack because she was more effective than Boner in getting things done.

[sabrina 1]

17. It's all about money. Had that amendment passed, funding would have been cut off for

Private Security Corps (mostly Bush constructs, the privatization of our 'security) such as Booz Allen, former employee of our current Director of Intelligence, Clapper who lied to Congress with, as people have noticed, zero consequences.

[FreakinDJ]

11. No they don't

Just lots of Defense Contractor Money

[xchrom]

5. du rec.

[Laelth]

6. Nancy Pelosi takes her orders directly from the White House.

She is a team player, and she does her best to implement the President's agenda. If Pelosi pressured Democrats to preserve the NSA's current powers, it was (almost certainly) because the President told her to.

-Laelth

[G_j]

7. Yep

for sure

[obxhead]

9. I'm for it

until the actual vote comes up Nancy strikes again.

With Democrats like these who needs Republicans?

[Catherina]

10. The same way she saved Bush's admin, torture and all their crimes

What else is new lol? Rec'd

[Hydra]

13. All in the same camp

One of the more interesting moments from the "impeachment is off the table" timeperiod:

Unsmilingly, she continued: "If they were poor and they were sleeping on my sidewalk, they would be arrested for loitering, but because they have 'Impeach Bush' across their chest, it's the First Amendment."

Though opposed to the war herself, Pelosi has for months been a target of an antiwar movement that believes she hasn't done enough. Cindy Sheehan has announced a symbolic challenge to Pelosi in California's 8th Congressional District. And the speaker is seething.

"We have to make responsible decisions in the Congress that are not driven by the dissatisfaction of anybody who wants the war to end tomorrow," Pelosi told the gathering at the Sofitel, arranged by the Christian Science Monitor. Though crediting activists for their "passion," Pelosi called it "a waste of time" for them to target Democrats. "They are advocates," she said. "We are leaders."

It was a rather fierce response to the party's liberal base, which frightens many a congressional Democrat. But it wasn't out of character for the new speaker. Pelosi's fixed and constant smile makes her appear as if she is cutting an ad for a whitening toothpaste. But when you listen to the words that come from her grinning maw, the smile seems more akin to that of a barracuda.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/09/AR2007100902006.html

[Enthusiast]

14. It's a big club

and we ain't in it. Apparently.

[Broward]

12. So much for checks and balances.

What a disgrace.

[AllINeedIsCoffee]

15. Stopping the libertarian wing of the GOP from a win like this was more important.

Good job, Pelosi, you are an effective member of the Democratic Party.

[sabrina 1]

18. ???? 'Stopping the Libertarian Wing of the GOP'?? Are you SERIOUS?

She stopped Progressive Democrats from making a small dent in Bush's egregious, anti-Constitution policies and it was a disgraceful thing to do.

Don't try selling that talking point here to Progressive Democrats. It is DOD since most Democrats are not suffering from the amnesia these assaults on Civil Liberties are hoping for.

[AllINeedIsCoffee]

22. Justin Amash is a Progressive Democrat? nt

[sabrina 1]

27. John Conyers, Ron Wyden are 'Republican Libertarians'?

Is this the level of discourse DU has sunk to? Are you trying to avoid the topic at hand or are you seriously not aware of what an important issue this has been for Democrats for more than a decade now?

I can't tell, you don't seem to be concerned about the issue itself but seem to be trying to make it about personalities.

Anytime you want to openly defend, or reject Bush's policies, please do so.

And that is what we are talking about here, BUSH/CHENEY POLICIES. Where do you stand on Bush/Cheney Policies?

[leftstreet]

19. Wait. So the GOP is AGAINST the NSA surveillance program?

[AllINeedIsCoffee]

21. The AMASH Amendment...

Justin Amash is a Republican and a protege of Ron Paul.

[leftstreet]

23. But..but it says that amendment would 'claw back' NSA powers

[Mojorabbit]

29. No one cares about Ron Paul. nt

[LostOne4Ever]

31. This! (nt)

[LostOne4Ever]

30. More democrats voted for it than republicans

It would have been a win just as much for the civil libertarian wing of the democratic party (if not more so) as for the "We want to smoke dope" wing of the GOP.

This was a win for authoritarianism and a loss for liberty and the american people.

[n2doc]

16. What do people expect?

She is just doing what her President wants. People complain that Obama is powerless, but here is a perfect example of where he wields power. If she didn't go along with him then the party would be in complete disarray.

Blame Obama for this, not the system. Had he said "ok, lets work out an amendment that curtails the spying in a reasonable fashion, and then push it" it would have happened, discretely, behind closed doors. He did not want any restrictions.

[chimpymustgo]

20. Exactly. This is Obama's SPY program. Pelosi carries his water fighting our civil liberties.

[jazzimov]

24. The RW hates Pelosi,

that's good enough for me.

[Brigid]

25. Thanks a lot, Nancy.

[LittleBlue]

26. Thanks for all you've done, Nancy, but

frankly it's time for new blood in leadership positions. Please step aside so someone younger with new ideas can lead.

[railsback]

28. I tend to favor Pelosi's reasoning and intellect

over ANYONE here sitting in the bleachers, booing because there's not enough blood flying in the arena.

[Waiting For Everyman]

32. Impeachment-Is-Off-The-Table Nancy

should be ashamed of herself. Apparently, she doesn't have that much common sense or conscience though.