After spending the last several years wailing about how George Bush has been "tearing up the Constitution" by spying willy nilly on everyone from terrorists to your Auntie Midge, Democrats are preparing to announce to the American people "never mind:"Two months after vowing to roll back broad new wiretapping powers won by the Bush administration, Congressional Democrats appear ready to make concessions that could extend some of the key powers granted to the National Security Agency. Bush administration officials say they are confident they will win approval of the broadened wiretapping authority that they secured temporarily in August as Congress rushed toward recess, and some Democratic officials admit that they may not come up with the votes to rein in the administration. As the debate over the N.S.A.’s wiretapping powers begins anew this week, the emerging legislation reflects the political reality confronting the Democrats. While they are willing to...(Read Full Post)