One of my favorite movies has always been Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day. Besides the great acting from Murray (and co-star Andie MacDowell) it’s a wonderful exposition of the definition of insanity — doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.
By that definition, you have to wonder about the sanity of the Senate when it comes to information sharing and cybersecurity. Don’t get me wrong — unlike the privacy critics I think that Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 would be a decent bill to enact. A modest improvement in security and no real threat to civil liberties, just as last year’s version was. And, clearly, the Intelligence Committee agrees, having passed the bill out of Committee by a vote of 14-1 over the objections of Senator Wyden.
And maybe, just maybe, the change in party majority in the Senate will change the result this time around. It seems clear that the parallel bill in the House will be able, again, to pass that chamber. So maybe CISA will succeed this time around. But color me skeptical.