Sen. Feinstein Planning To Introduce Bill Codifying NSA's Phone Records Program

Says the legislation would increase oversight

Washington -- California Sen. Dianne Feinstein has set up a clash with another powerful senior Democrat and drawn criticism from civil libertarians on the left and right for her defense of a national security program that collects Americans' telephone records.

The role is a familiar one for Feinstein, whose pro-law enforcement outlook has persisted from her days on a women's parole board and her tenure as San Francisco mayor. Now it's in full evidence in her leadership of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which oversees the U.S. spy apparatus.