Translation

Chet Scoville translates

Two months after insisting that they would roll back broad eavesdropping powers won by the Bush administration, Democrats in Congress appear ready to make concessions that could extend some crucial powers given to the National Security Agency....Although willing to oppose the White House on the Iraq war, they remain nervous that they will be called soft on terrorism if they insist on strict curbs on gathering intelligence.

You know, that last sentence doesn't read correctly. Let's just fix it up a bit:

Although willing to claim to oppose the White House on the Iraq war by means of empty gestures and bullshit, they remain irrationally wedded to the forlorn hope of gaining the approval of David Broder, their Republican opponents, sociopathic talk-radio hosts, and mouth-breathers who would never vote for them in the first place, if they can only manage to make not a single gesture towards the restoration of actual constitutional government in the United States.

Glenn Greenwald has more, and gives cause for cautious optimism.