How could such a radical shift take place, one supported by House members from both parties?
In the case of Syria, members needed to do little more than read public opinion polls. Over 60% of those polled in March 2012 opposed any U.S. military involvement in Syria. Only 45% of those polled in April 2013 supported involvement even if the Syrian government used chemical weapons!
House members run for election every two years and are are reluctant to seem obvious in thwarting the public will.. However, presidents do what they want overseas again and again.
The broad consensus in the voice vote may have reflected a wariness of yet another failed military involvement in the midst of an ongoing economic crisis. The presence of Al Qaeda fighters (the bad rebels) fighting with the Free Syrian Army (the good rebels) was a factor. And, hopefully, many members are paying attention to the indiscriminate murder of Syrian Christians by Al Qaeda fighters (which includes beheading, an Al Qaeda best practices method of murder).
The NSA amendment was a response to very real but less overwhelming public opposition to national security state policies. The core of the opposition goes much deeper. During the term of Bush II, a constitutionalists faction emerged after the passage of the Patriot Act. Paleoconservatives like constitutional attorney Bruce Fein and Paul Craig Roberts allied with Democrats like former prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi and Rep. Conyers stood together in opposition to the degrading of those basic liberties protected by the Constitution.
The feint hope that newly elected President Obama would work to restore some of the losses suffered under bush was quickly snuffed out by the the president and Attorney General Eric Holder's embrace of Bush II gains for executive power over citizen protections. This vote was an expression of years of frustration by those who actually read the law and believe in its application on a consistent basis.
Will the trend continue on foreign intervention and constitutional protections?
Will the next vote to rein in NSA pass with even bolder restrictions?
It's hard to tell but congressional action last week raised just the slightest degree of hope that things may change for the better.
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