http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/243566-senate-intel-member-paul-simply-false-on-nsa
Members of the Senate will be on the hook if they are unable to renew expiring parts of the Patriot Act by the end of the day on Sunday, according to Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.).
“There will be accountability for what our vote is and what we do," Coats — who sits on the chamber’s Intelligence Committee — said on Fox News on Sunday.
“Going dark — losing a valuable tool that’s part of the effort of gathering intelligence, that helps keep Americans safe — is something that we’re going to be responsible for if we allow this to happen.”
In particular, Coats criticized Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) for “making statements that simply do not describe the program” run by the National Security Agency (NSA).
“What he’s said is that the government is literally collecting your emails, your buddy lists, the content of your calls — I think that is not the case at all,” Coats said.
“It is an important tool that has been so badly misrepresented.”
The NSA has controversially used one of the expiring provisions of the Patriot Act, known as Section 215, to collect in bulk millions of records about Americans’ phone calls. The “metadata” records do not include people’s actual conversations, but instead list the numbers they dial, when the phone calls occurred and for how long.
However, the NSA has other programs that are able to pick up communications of Americans without a warrant, so long as they are picked up “incidentally” during a search for foreigners’ information.
Paul this weekend pledged to force the Senate to kill the laws, by preventing lawmakers from passing legislation by the time they run out at midnight.
The strategy has already made him a prime target for many hawks, who worry that he is handicapping American defenses while threats are on the upswing around the globe.
my first thought is why is this party leader is fighting against his party who started it at the turn of the century there was no noise then only support because it was a Bush plan now like most other things what once was a given is now a menace to society because Pres. continued it. they ranted about how we needed to do this it's kept us safe now we still have been kept safe but no longer by the Bush but the Black guy in the WH that has tainted every perceived by them good ideas because they are no longer the ones who were exploiting it Pres.
i think he's just trying to be the best Pres. he can be and serving the people despite protocol changes by the republicans. this was brought up a few years ago how everything that was a no brainer no contest now are referred to as fights between them and the Pres.
