Panel Discussion: Bloggers and Online Activists

Featured Panelists:
Spencer Ackerman, Reporter/Blogger, TPMmuckraker.com
Nita Chaudhary, MoveOn.org Political Action
Caroline Fredrickson, Director, Washington Legislative Office of the American Civil Liberties Union
Julian Sanchez, Contributing Editor, Reason magazine

Moderated by:
Faiz Shakir, Research Director, Center for American Progress

Panel Discussion: Restoring Checks and Balances

Featured Panelists:
Mary DeRosa, Chief Counsel for National Security, Senate Judiciary Committee
Former U.S. Rep. Mickey Edwards (R-OK)
Morton H. Halperin, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
Kate Martin, Director, Center for National Security Studies

Moderated by:
Mark Agrast, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

Program Agenda:

Bloggers and online activists have been at the forefront of raising awareness about the civil liberties and legal implications relating to the Bush administration's spying activities.

Citizen journalists and grassroots organizers have challenged the administration's assertions about the legality of the warrantless wiretapping program. With persistence and shared efforts, these activists have uncovered disturbing examples of administration attempts to mislead and dissemble about its surveillance programs.

Most recently, they have reacted with disdain to the passage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act amendments, and they have been working to inform others about the ramifications of those changes.

11:45 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
Light Lunch

12:00 P.M. - 1:30 P.M.
Panel Discussion: Restoring Checks and Balances

Nearly 30 years ago, Congress enacted the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to strike a balance between the government's need for foreign intelligence information and the constitutional requirement that Americans not be subject to electronic eavesdropping without a court order. The statute has been amended many times to ensure that our intelligence capabilities keep pace with advances in technology, but for three decades the core requirement that the government must get a warrant to spy on Americans in the United States remained intact. That abruptly changed on August 5, when the president signed legislation which permits the government to eavesdrop on Americans without a warrant as long as the "target" of the surveillance is located outside the United States.

This and other sweeping changes to FISA were enacted with virtually no public debate as Congress prepared to leave for the August recess. The legislation is set to expire in six months, and congressional leaders have vowed to reconsider it once Congress reconvenes in September.

Key findings of the Terrorism Index:

-Nearly all of the experts (91 percent) say that the world is becoming more dangerous for Americans.
-84 percent of survey participants say that the country is not winning the war on terror.
-More than 80 percent predict a 9/11-scale terrorist attack on the United States within the next 10 years.
-More than half believe the recent surge in Iraq has had a negative impact on U.S. national security, compared with 31 percent six months ago.

Rep. David Obey (D-WI) offers us a unique perspective in understanding how our Congress has changed over the past four decades in a new autobiography, Raising Hell for Justice, the Washington Battles of a Heartland Progressive, due to be released the week of Sept. 10. The Center for American Progress will host a forum on Sept. 10 to talk about the Obey book and the problems facing our legislative branch. Joining Obey will be American Enterprise Institute scholar Norm Ornstein, the co-author of the recent critique of Congress titled Broken Branch, and National Journal reporter Richard Cohen, co-author of the Almanac of American Politics, to discuss "How Congress Evolves: The Perspective of a House Appropriator."

The panel is expected to talk not only about the changes that have taken place but the forces behind those changes and the challenges facing the current Congress in repairing "the broken branch."

David S. Broder of The Washington Post called Obey's book, "more than a shrewd and candid inside look at Congress...a great testament to the enduring values of our system of representative government, a reminder of what public service can really mean when rendered by a person of courage and character." Mark Shields says, "Obey suffers neither fools nor cheats. . . . Like its author, this book is passionate, honest, and funny."

Tom Mann of the Brookings Institute commented, "Raising Hell for Justice is a powerful and enlightening political memoir by one of America's all-time great legislators."

A luncheon discussion co-sponsored by the Center for American Progress, Hudson Institute's Bradley Center, Voices for National Service, and the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, Tufts University, will examine the role that national service plays in workforce and talent development for the country. Two expert panels will bring together a thoughtful group of leaders from national service, higher-education, and the private sector for a policy discussion on service as a strategy for public and private leadership. First, national service alumni will share stories about the role that their national service experience has played in their professional development and career choices. Second, executives from every sector will give their perspective on the role national service can play in developing leaders and a strong workforce.

*This event was re-scheduled from July 18*

China's rapid economic growth and increasingly important role in world affairs poses many difficult questions for U.S. policymakers. How does Chinese economic growth affect U.S. competitiveness in the world? What kinds of policies should Congress sponsor to ensure a fair and productive trade relationship with China? How can the United States best encourage a beneficial and secure relationship with China economically, politically, and militarily? The Center for American Progress will host a conversation with U.S. Reps. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Rick Larsen (D-WA), co-chairs of the U.S.-China Working Group, to examine these issues and discuss congressional opinions and attitudes toward China. The discussion will be moderated by Carol Browner, Principal of The Albright Group LLC and former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The bipartisan U.S.-China Working Group educates members of Congress on U.S.-China issues through meetings and briefings with academic, business, and political leaders from the United States.

In the new book Less Safe, Less Free: Why America is Losing the War on Terror, Georgetown Law Professor David Cole and his co-author Jules Lobel argue that the "preventive paradigm" adopted by the Bush administration not only has undermined our nation's character but has also made us more vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

The authors contend that this new paradigm has led directly to the detentions at Guantanamo, the use of coercive interrogation and torture, and the invasion of Iraq. They argue that there is virtually no evidence that the paradigm of prevention has thwarted actual terrorist plots or captured many terrorists, while there is substantial evidence that it has made us less safe. They offer an alternative preventive strategy that favors non-coercive measures, multilateral cooperation, and support for the rule of law.

Please join us for a lively and stimulating discussion with Professor Cole and Bradford Berenson, former White House Associate Counsel, who advised President George W. Bush on many of the policies discussed in the book. The moderator will be Mark Agrast, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress.

Larry Korb, former Assistant Secretary of Defense and Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress in Washington D.C., will give a lunchtime address at the Burkle Center for International Relations at UCLA describing and discussing the implications of the Petraeus Report, a summary of General Petraeus' views about the future course of the war in Iraq. Phil Carter, a veteran who served in Iraq in 2006, lawyer and Slate commentator, will then offer his impressions on the Petraeus Report given his experiences in Iraq. Q & A will follow. This event is free and open to the public.