There was no surprise today when Dana Perino, speaking on behalf the White House at today's press gaggle, declared the following with respect to the recently passed FISA bill:

We are going to have some fights on our hands; we know that. We are going to be asking for the FISA law that was just modernized last week, and which the President signed before he left for Maine, to be made permanent. Right now there is a sunset on it, and we think that's inappropriate.

While the White House will be actively pursing making the deplorable FISA bill permanent, the leadership in both the House and Senate have vowed to take quick action to temper the impact of the recently passed law.

Just hours after the vote, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to John Conyers and Silvestre Reyes (Chairmen of the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees), seeking to fix the FISA bill "as soon as possible":

Tonight, the House passed S. 1927, a bill approved by the Senate yesterday, which is an interim response to the Administration's request for changes in FISA, and which was sought to fill an intelligence gap which is asserted to exist. Many provisions of this legislation are unacceptable, and, although the bill has a six month sunset clause, I do not believe the American people will want to wait that long before corrective action is taken. Accordingly, I request that your committees send to the House, as soon as possible after Congress reconvenes, legislation which responds comprehensively to the Administration's proposal while addressing the many deficiencies in S. 1927.

Today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid issued a similar statement to Senators Rockerfeller and Leahy (Chairmen of the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary Committees):

I know both of you share my disappointment at the process that led to passage of the recent law, and at the flawed outcome itself, which you and I and many others strongly opposed. The temporary authorities in the new law will sunset in six months. While these temporary authorities are in effect, I support all efforts by your two committees to conduct vigorous and comprehensive oversight of their implementation. I also know that your committees have been working exhaustively on sound options for a longer-term change to FISA, even though your work has been hindered by lack of cooperation from the Administration in providing relevant information. When the Senate reconvenes in September, I fully support your committees working expeditiously together and in a bipartisan manner to develop a longer-term statutory change that better serves American national security interests and comports with the Constitution and proper judicial and congressional oversight. I would like to see the full Senate consider as soon as possible a bill reported by your committees that addresses the deficiencies in the recently-enacted law and any other matter you believe must be addressed.

Although the recently passed law has a six-month sunset provision, and although the White House hopes that after those six months this rights-stripping, unitary-executive-coddling law becomes permanent, Congress clearly has other plans. You can expect to see more FISA legislation--better FISA legislation---up for votes this year.

And Congress can expect to have us on its heels beforehand, reminding our good Senators and Representatives that the "support and defend the Constitution" part of their oath isn't really optional.