2007年VOA标准英语-Bush Seeks Changes in Foreign Intelligence Surv

By Deborah Tate
Capitol Hill
05 July 2007

The Bush administration is seeking to update a law governing U.S. foreign intelligence surveillance. But members of the Democratic majority in Congress are signaling they may be reluctant to approve the proposed changes because they have concerns about a controversial administration wiretapping program. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.

The Bush administration is asking Congress to approve changes to the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA. The proposed modifications² would give the government more power to gather foreign intelligence information. Supporters say the changes would bring the law up to date with changes in new technology, including e-mail and wireless³ communications.

 

Michael McConnell, May 2007

Michael McConnell, director of National Intelligence, urged lawmakers to amend⁴ the law at a recent Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.

"It will help our intelligence professionals, if passed, protect the nation by preventing terrorist acts inside the United States," he said.

But many congressional Democrats⁵ appear reluctant to expand the government's surveillance powers.

They have questions about the legality of a wiretapping program established after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, and say the administration has yet to adequately respond to their concerns.

The program had been set up to allow the National Security Agency to monitor, without court warrants, phone calls and e-mails between suspected terrorists overseas and people in the United States.

President Bush defended the program as a necessary tool in the fight against terrorism, but many in Congress argued it violated the FISA law, which requires warrants.

In January, the administration agreed to have the wiretapping program subject to review by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court.

But that was not enough to satisfy some skeptical⁶ lawmakers.

Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee issued subpoenas⁸ to the White House, Vice⁹ President Dick Cheney's office and the Department of Justice for documents relating to the wiretapping program.

Patrick Leahy, 27 June 2007

Committee chairman Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat¹, discussed his concerns in a recent NBC Meet the Press program.

"The White House has chosen confrontation¹⁰ over cooperation, and I think that is unfortunate," he said. "Nobody on my committee, Republican or Democratic, is trying to subpoena⁷ the operations of what has been done in wiretapping terrorists. What we are asking is, what was the legal justification¹¹ they tried to follow, when for years, they were wiretapping ordinary Americans and everybody else without a warrant?"

The administration has until July 18 to respond to subpoena.

Some Democrats are suggesting they would be reluctant to approve the administration's proposed changes in the foreign intelligence surveillance law until the White House hands over more information about the wiretapping program.

"Where's the transparency as to the presidential authorizations for this closed program? Where's the transparency as to the attorney general's opinion of this closed program? That's a pretty big 'we're not going to tell you' in this new atmosphere of trust we're trying to build," said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat.

But there are some lawmakers who argue that in the wake of the car bombing plots in London and Glasgow, Scotland, updating the surveillance law is essential. They argue - as does the administration - that the proposed changes to the law include adequate safeguards to protect the privacy rights of Americans.

Among them is Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who calls himself an independent Democrat. He addressed the issue in a recent ABC This Week program.

"We are in a partisan¹² gridlock over the question of whether the American government can listen into conversations, or follow e-mail trails of non-American citizens," he said. "That is wrong. We have got to solve that problem and pass the law to give the people working for us the ability to protect us."

Senator Lieberman is chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 modifications   

n.缓和( modification的名词复数 )；限制；更改；改变

参考例句：

• The engine was pulled apart for modifications and then reassembled. 发动机被拆开改型，然后再组装起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The original plan had undergone fairly extensive modifications. 原计划已经作了相当大的修改。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

4 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。

5 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

7 subpoena   

n.（法律）传票；v.传讯

参考例句：

• He was brought up to court with a subpoena.他接到传讯，来到法庭上。
• Select committees have the power to subpoena witnesses.特别委员会有权传唤证人。

8 subpoenas   

n.（传唤出庭的）传票( subpoena的名词复数 )v.（用传票）传唤（某人）( subpoena的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• My company has complied with committee subpoenas by supplying documents confirming all that I have said. 本公司按照委员会的要求，提供了能够证实我刚才发言的文件。 来自辞典例句
• Congressional Investigations: Subpoenas and Contempt Power. Report for Congress April 2, 2003. 金灿荣：《美国国会的监督功能》，载《教学与研究》2003年第2期。 来自互联网

9 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

10 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

11 justification   

n.正当的理由；辩解的理由

参考例句：

• There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。
• In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。

12 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。