will...I would prefer a bill w/o retroactive immunity....and despite all the shouting, it is not clear to me that the provision is illegal.
But in any case, IMO, the issue of immunity is a hollow shell for all practical purposes. As I said above, the class action civil suits against the telecomms would not likely have seen the light of day...they would have claimed that they could not exercise a defense w/o government docs and the gov would withhold the docs based on claims of vital "national security"....so what is accomplished.
I would like to see Bush face a criminal trial after he leaves office and the possibility of five years in prson for each warrantless wiretap of an American citizen:
Quote:
§ 1809. Criminal sanctions
(a) Prohibited activities
A person is guilty of an offense if he intentionally—
(1) engages in electronic surveillance under color of law except as authorized by statute; or
(2) discloses or uses information obtained under color of law by electronic surveillance, knowing or having reason to know that the information was obtained through electronic surveillance not authorized by statute.
(b) Defense
It is a defense to a prosecution under subsection (a) of this section that the defendant was a law enforcement or investigative officer engaged in the course of his official duties and the electronic surveillance was authorized by and conducted pursuant to a search warrant or court order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
(c) Penalties
An offense described in this section is punishable by a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.
(d) Federal jurisdiction
There is Federal jurisdiction over an offense under this section if the person committing the offense was an officer or employee of the United States at the time the offense was committed.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/ht...9----000-.html
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But that is highly unlikely as well.
Perhaps loquitor knows if that could ever happen of if there are issues of some type of sovereign immunity that covers Bush after leaving office.