Bush reportedly blocks Rove testimony

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Bush scales back intel proposal
The Senate’s Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, said he saw bipartisan willingness to get the legislation done before the Congress goes into recess.

The White House responded with measured optimism.

“I think they understand and appreciate the importance,” Bush spokesman Tony Snow said of Democratic leaders. “We will see.”

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The administration believes the FISA court under existing law must approve certain spying because many conversations and contacts taking place overseas are routed through U.S.-based communication carriers, satellites or Internet providers.

Its latest proposal is narrower than what the administration sought in April: a slew of changes to the 1978 FISA law.

That law created a court which meets in secret to review applications from the FBI, the NSA and other agencies to investigate suspected spies, terrorists or other national security threats. Shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Bush authorized the NSA to eavesdrop — without requiring a warrant beforehand from the FISA court — on calls between people in the U.S. and others overseas when terrorism is suspected.

After the program became public and was challenged in court, Bush earlier this year put it under FISA court supervision.

Veto threats
On spending matters, the Democrats and Bush appeared to get nowhere in their breakfast meeting.

Bush has threatened vetoes or signaled veto threats against most of the 12 annual spending bills for the budget year beginning Oct. 1. The differences between Bush and Congress involve $23 billion in funding — a gap that the Democrats call small, and the White House portrays as wasteful.

Pelosi said the president was firm on his stand, but she added, “I’m not one to take no for an answer.”