The Amash Amendment and the NSA

Sometime late today or perhaps tomorrow the House of Representatives will vote on a proposed amendment to the Defense appropriations bill offered by Representative Justin Amash (R-MI) and co-sponsored by Representative John Conyers (D-MI).  The amendment would, in effect, defund the NSA's metadata telephony program that had been exposed by Edward Snowden.    The amendment has the support of a number of organizations including the ACLU, EFF, CDT and CEI.  A group of former national security officials from the Bush Administration have written a letter supporting the continuation of the NSA program, and the Wall St. Journal has an op-ed on the subject in today's paper.  Steve Bradbury, the former AAG for OLC had an op-ed on the topic yesterday in the Washington Post and participated in a teleforum debate on the constitutionality of the program yesterday (the recording should be available later today). My own modest thoughts were also published yesterday as well.  My bottom line:  A premature rush to judgment.