Amendment to FISA Proposed

This article describes an amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978, proposed by intelligence and Justice Department officials through the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), that would expand the legal definition of those who can be the subject of warrantless surveillance to include not only current non-US persons clearly linked to terrorist organizations or to governments harboring terrorist organizations but also the following:
1. Non-US persons evidenced as perpetrating and/or plotting proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs)
2. Non-US persons suspected (without a clear link) of having a relation with a militant group or with any non-US government
Of course this broad pool includes everyone on the planet who is either not a U.S. citizen or not a hermit unaffiliated with any government. I expect an amendment that would limit the scope of the definition pretty close to its current breadth, perhaps expanding warrantless surveillance subjects to include those evidenced as proliferating WMDs. That type of amendment to the proposed amendment would likely be the median vote because the need for evidence beyond a gut feeling is what will shape perceptions of most members of Congress that that particular addition will be more difficult to abuse than the other proposed definitional expansion. Current opponents of the PATRIOT Act are likely to coalition to prevent any more latitude in permitting domestic spying.