When Rep. Michael Arcuri ran for Congress last year, he promised a new approach to legislating in Washington. But yesterday, Arcuri’s hypocrisy was on full display when he voted along with other Democrats on the House Rules Committee to prevent Republicans from even offering amendments to the FISA bill. This is exactly the type of tactic Democrats criticized Republicans for employing in years past.
Brian Faughnan writes in a lengthy post on the Weekly Standard that by closing down the debate, Arcuri prevented a vote on common-sense amendments that would “authorize surveillance of those engaged in the creation of Weapons of Mass Destruction; authorize surveillance of foreign terrorists outside the United States; extend liability protection to telecommunications companies that relied on government directives and shared information deemed necessary for protection from terrorist attack; and, allow a debate on the Bush administration’s alternative.”
Faughnan thinks he knows why Arcuri is afraid to let those amendments come up for a vote on the House floor:
Because they know a majority of the House is against the Democratic leadership on this and other security issues. When the House approved a temporary extension of FISA that was consistent with White House recommendations, 41 Democrats voted with nearly all House Republicans to pass a strong bipartisan bill. Democratic leaders couldn’t allow that to happen again.
Despite calling himself a moderate, Arcuri is showing his true political stripes on this issue. Residents of the 24th District would be appalled if the local newspapers started revealing the truth about what was happening in Washington.
