WASHINGTON (AP) - In a high-stakes showdown over national security, the Senate voted late yesterday to temporarily give President George W. Bush expanded authority to eavesdrop on foreign terrorists without court warrants.

The House, meanwhile, rejected a Democratic version of the bill.

Democratic leaders there were working on a plan to bring up the Senate-passed measure and vote on it today in response to Bush’s demand that Congress give him the expanded surveillance authority before leaving for vacation this weekend.

The White House applauded the Senate vote and urged the House to quickly follow suit.

Senate Democrats reluctantly voted for a plan largely crafted by the White House after Bush promised to veto a Democratic alternative that would have required a court review within 15 days.

The Senate bill gives Bush the expanded eavesdropping authority for only six months. The Democratic version rejected by both the Senate and House would have allowed that authority for only four months.

The Senate vote was 60-28. Both parties had agreed to require 60 votes for passage.

Senate Republicans, aided by Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell, said the update to the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, would at least temporarily close gaps in the nation’s security system. It would be in effect only for six months, giving Congress time to hammer out a more comprehensive plan instead of rushing approval for a permanent bill in the waning hours before lawmakers begin their monthlong break.

In the House, Democrats lost an effort to push a proposal that called for stricter court oversight of the way the government would ensure its spying would not target Americans.

"The rule of law is still critical in this country," Rep. John Tierney, D-Mass, said before the losing the mostly party-line 218-207 vote that fell short of two-thirds majority needed for passage. "It is exactly when the government thinks that it can be the sole, fair arbiter that we most need a judicial system to stand in and strike the balance."

Current law requires court review of government surveillance of suspected terrorists in the United States. It does not specifically address the government’s ability to intercept messages believed to come from foreigners overseas.

The Bush administration began pressing for changes to the law after a recent ruling by the special FISA court that barred the government from eavesdropping on foreign suspects whose messages were being routed through U.S. communications carriers, including Internet sites.

Democrats agreed the law should not restrict U.S. spies from tapping in on foreign suspects. However, they initially demanded the FISA court to review the eavesdropping process to make sure Americans aren’t targeted. By the final vote, Senate Democrats had whittled down that demand and approved a bill that largely mirrored what the Bush administration wanted. It requires:

● Initial approval by McConnell and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The administration relented to Democrats leery of Gonzales by adding McConnell to the oversight.

● FISA court review within 120 days. The final Democratic plan had called for court review to begin immediately and conclude within a month of the surveillance starting

● The law to expire in six months to give Congress time to craft a more comprehensive plan. The White House initially wanted the bill to be permanent.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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