Civil Strife

You may not be aware of it, but there has been a bit of civil strife among House Democrats over a new FISA bill. Looks like progressives are making headway:

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the House Majority Leader, postponed a press conference announcing new reforms of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act after progressive lawmakers banded together and said they would fight any legislation that did not include a set of eight principles on wiretapping that preserve the "rule of law."

"What's most significant is that the Progressive Caucus came together and said to the leadership that all 72 of us require that these provisions be included," said Caroline Fredercikson, Legislative Director for the American Civil Liberties Union. "This changes the dynamic significantly.

This would seem to, at least temporarily, stop the conservative wing of the Democrats from proposing crappy new FISA legislation. Nuthin' wrong with that.