Charlie Wilson Wants To Reconsider FISA [UPDATED]

Rep. Charlie Wilson sent a letter to Nancy Pelosi yesterday urging her to make considering a new version of the controversial Protect America Act a top priority. In the letter he claims the current bill has "many deficiencies" that need corrected and says that he feels "uncomfortable with the legislation because it removes crucial oversight over intelligence-gathering activities".

I'm sure this won't satisfy everyone, but for me the wait and see approach has paid off.

The letter can be downloaded as a PDF file here.

I also finally got the letter converted to text, here it is:

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
H232-US Capitol Washington, DC 20515

September 6, 2007

Dear Madame Speaker,

I am writing to urge you to bring a new version of S. 1927, the Protect America Act of 2007 to the floor for a vote as soon as possible. We must address the many deficiencies of the bill.

During the night of August 4, I cast a very difficult vote for S. 1927. I understood that this vote was an interim response to the Administration's request for changes to FISA, and that this bill covered the purported intelligence gap. I believe that it was important to close this gap. Nonetheless, I remain uncomfortable with the legislation because it removes crucial oversight over intelligence-gathering activities. We must work together to find a way to protect this nation while protecting our Constitutionally-guaranteed civil liberties.

Because of these concerns, I was heartened that the duration of this legislation was limited to six months. I do not believe, however, that the Congress should wait until the legislation nears expiration to begin the process of revising it. I look forward to considering new legislation as soon as possible, and I urge you to move this legislation quickly.

I've sincerely appreciated your leadership and I look forward to working with you on this issue. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact my Legislative Director, Joan Gregory, at ###-###-####.

I gave it a quick read through but it might not be perfect. I also removed the header, signature, and phone number .