Press release from the Collins for Senator campaign:

TOM ALLEN VOTES (AGAIN) TO JEOPARDIZE THE SAFETY OF AMERICAN PEOPLE

Congressman Tom Allen chose politics over the safety and security of the American people by voting Friday with a small minority against a bipartisan compromise that would modernize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA. FISA is one of the most important tools in the war against terror, allowing our nation's intelligence community to conduct lawful surveillance of suspected terrorists. FISA has helped our intelligence agencies protect our country, and our military troops in the field, by granting these agencies the authority to intercept terrorist plots. The compromise bill provides our intelligence agencies with the tools they need to help protect against possible terrorist attacks, while protecting civil liberties.

"Tom Allen had a chance to help protect our nation's safety and security. Unfortunately, he caved in to the pressure of partisan special interest groups and voted to deny our intelligence community the necessary resources to continue monitoring foreign-based, terrorist communications," said Kevin Kelley, spokesman for Collins for Senator.

WHAT TOM ALLEN'S DEMOCRATIC COLLEAGUES ARE SAYING ABOUT FISA LEGISLATION:

• SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE NANCY PELOSI (D-CA) "Our troops in the field depend on timely and reliable information." "Good intelligence is necessary for us to know the plans of the terrorists." "This bill does not allow warrantless surveillance of Americans."
• HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER STENY HOYER (D-MD) "This bipartisan bill balances the needs of our intelligence community with Americans' civil liberties, and provides critical new oversight and accountability requirements," said Hoyer. "It is the result of compromise, and like any compromise is not perfect, but I believe it strikes a sound balance. Furthermore, we have ensured that Congress can revisit these issues because the legislation will sunset at the end of 2012."
• HOUSE ARMED SERVICES CHAIRMAN IKE SKELTON (D-MO) "This bipartisan compromise strikes the right balance between providing our intelligence community with the tools they need to find and fight terrorists and protecting our constitutional rights."
• SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV) "At its core this historic, bipartisan agreement to modernize FISA is about providing an essential tool in the fight against terrorism. It meets our dual obligations to make our Nation safe and restore the privacy protections and civil liberties Americans require."

WHAT THE WASHINGTON POST SAYS ABOUT FISA LEGISLATION:

A Better Surveillance Law
Congress shows it still knows how to reach a compromise in the national interest.
Friday, June 20, 2008; A18
"CONGRESSIONAL leaders of both parties should be commended for drafting legislation that brings the country's surveillance laws into the 21st century while protecting civil liberties and preserving important national security prerogatives. The bill is scheduled to be voted on today in the House, and it deserves to pass.
The bill amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, which was designed to constrain the executive branch's domestic spying powers. The surveillance law became a focus of debate in 2005 after revelations that President Bush bypassed FISA shortly after the 2001 terrorist attacks and unilaterally approved warrantless domestic surveillance. Many Democrats pressed for more protections to prevent future warrantless excursions; Republicans claimed that the law needed to be changed to allow the president as much flexibility as possible to thwart potential threats.
Lawmakers, led by John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) and Christopher S. Bond (R-Mo.) in the Senate and Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) in the House, have struck a sensible balance. To avert another end run around FISA -- President Bush used the congressional authorization for military force in 2001 as justification for warrantless surveillance -- the bill makes clear that all intelligence surveillance is governed by FISA. The legislation mandates that the administration obtain a court-approved, individual warrant for any spying activity directed at a U.S. citizen -- whether that citizen is on U.S. soil or abroad -- and that the administration prove it has "probable cause" to believe that the person is engaged in espionage. The procedures used for surveillance of non-U.S. citizens on foreign soil must be approved by the FISA court and reviewed annually. The inspectors general of the Justice Department and the intelligence agencies are charged with reviewing the surveillance programs, with particular focus on how many U.S. citizens are targeted, how many domestic surveillance projects are requested and undertaken, and whether the methods used by the administration to obtain warrants and carry out surveillance are narrowly tailored and show respect for civil liberties. The intelligence and judiciary committees of both chambers will have oversight powers; currently, only the intelligence committees have that responsibility. If passed today, the bill would be up for review in 2012.
Yet the compromise bill also preserves appropriate flexibility for the executive. In emergencies, the attorney general and the director of national intelligence could begin a surveillance project without a FISA warrant, but they would have to seek FISA approval within seven days. The bill also provides appropriate protections from civil lawsuits for telecommunications companies and gives these companies access to the FISA court to challenge requests they deem improper.
Striking the balance between liberties and security is never easy, and the new FISA bill is not perfect. But it is a vast improvement over the original law and over the earlier, rushed attempts to revise that law. It also provides some welcome evidence that congressional leaders remain capable of achieving delicate compromise in the national interest."