Ron Paul targeted over surveillance votes

New radio ads are running in districts of several Democratic members of Congress, as well as Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul, targeting the lawmakers for their opposition to a White House-backed surveillance bill. The ads play on national security fears in an attempt to spur these lawmakers to give in to the administration’s demands.

Critics of the administration-backed bill say it does not guarantee enough civil liberties protections and would eliminate oversight of President Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program.

Meanwhile, Politico reports that Democrats, Republicans and administration officials have met to discuss the stalled bill in question. It’s the first time since February parties on all sides of the issue have met.

The ads come from the ostensibly nonpartisan group Defense of Democracies, following up on an earlier campaign from the group targeting many of the same lawmakers. The organization is urging the House to pass a Bush-approved update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that would provide legal immunity to phone companies that may have violated the law in facilitating the warrantless wiretapping of Americans after 9/11. Civil libertarians and privacy advocates say the White House version of the bill, which already has been approved in the Senate, also does not provide enough judicial and congressional oversight for the administration’s proposed surveillance program.
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