An Eventful Day In the U.S. Senate

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The surveillance bill will provide an expansion of the federal surveillance law enacted 30 years ago. The measure approved by a 69 to 28 margin allows for the biggest changes ever to be made to the law enacted in the wake of the Watergate scandal. The bill gives the President more leeway on eavesdropping on people here in the U.S. and abroad that it believes is involved in some form of terrorism.

One of the most hotly debated topics was the provision to provide immunity to the telecom companies that cooperated in the wiretap program the President approved of after the World Trade Center attacks of September 11, 2001. Many lawsuits charged that the major telecom companies, AT&T, Verizon among others violated customers privacy by allowing wiretaps without warrants.

Both Presidential candidates appeared to support the bill. Senator Obama voted for the bill calling it a compromise. John McCain was absent for the vote, but has been vocal in his support for it. McCain, campaigning in Pittsburgh, took the opportunity to take a jab at his rival.

The other major bill passed yesterday was a health care bill that Republicans had threatened to filibuster. The bill would reverse a 10.6% in Medicare payments to doctors who care for the elderly. The filibuster threat was quelled with the surprising and triumphant return to the Senate of Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy. The Senator was making his first appearance on the floor since being diagnosed with Brain cancer earlier this year.

His influence apparently swayed the votes of 9 Republicans allowing the bill to pass by a 69 to 30 margin, with John McCain also not voting. The margin also allows for the Senate to override a threatened veto by President Bush if all Republican Senators stick to their vote.