emptywheel

If it were me, I'd err on the side of "a dec 30 auth will hurt more than it helps". But then, maybe I'm a crazy optimist that Congress will manage in the next four months what if failed to so in the last twelve.

Quite the optimism indeed. If they miss this deadline, we're into an election year. Why do you think anti-702ers are suddenly so enraptured with the April deadline being the operative one?

Susan: As one I presume you include as being "enraptured," are you familiar with the PAA direct precedent? Or just attacking people who DO know it?

I actually wasn't referring to you, as you've noted the dual deadline in the past. But my feed is positively overtaken with apparent newcomers to the April deadline, pushing it as a reason this is no big deal.

Virtually everyone knowledgeable I know thinks there'll be short term. But April IS a reason this is no big deal. April, and the PAA precedent.

Short term reauth that gets us past Nov 2018 would be reasonable solution to completely unreasonable mess they've created. Anything that sunsets prior and closer to Nov is just more gamesmanship on a total lapse. Call me a cynic but I presume it's part of the strategy.

Who is "they"? The IC, that still hasn't briefed all staffers on what they're doing? The IC which won't even accept HJC, which is mostly lip service to reform?

"They" is Congress and (moreso) the White House, which has entirely botched the interagency and Hill outreach and let easy compromise opportunities pass for no good reason.