Bush Backing Down on Wiretap Fight?

After months of using politically loaded rhetoric and hyping "bogus" terror threats to push Congress to give him the domestic spying bill he's demanding, President Bush seems to be backing down.

The Wall Street Journal reports Tuesday that the White House is softening its hard-line approach to updating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The steps toward moderation and compromise come as House Democrats proved last month that they have enough votes to pass a FISA bill that includes more oversight of surveillance efforts within the US than Bush would like and also to block the immunity he has demanded for telecommunications companies that facilitated his warrantless wiretapping program. While the White House is striking a "more conciliatory posture," as the Journal says, recognizing their waning clout on national security issues, it remains unclear just what -- if anything -- of substance will come from the reported negotiations between the Bush administration and Congress. Just before leaving for a two-week recess last month the House narrowly passed a FISA update that included additional oversight Democrats said was needed to protect Americans' constitutional rights; the House bill also did not include a telecom immunity provision. Bush has said it would be unfair to not to grant immunity to phone an internet companies that assisted his wireless surveillance; those companies, such as AT&T and Verizon, are plaintiffs in nearly 40 pending lawsuits alleging they illegally violated customers' privacy.