The shape of things to come?

Chris Muir's Day by Day for 08/29/2009:

CNET reports that "Bill would give president emergency control of Internet."

Internet companies and civil liberties groups were alarmed this spring when a U.S. Senate bill proposed handing the White House the power to disconnect private-sector computers from the Internet.

They're not much happier about a revised version that aides to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, have spent months drafting behind closed doors. CNET News has obtained a copy of the 55-page draft of S.773, which still appears to permit the president to seize temporary control of private-sector networks during a so-called cybersecurity emergency.

UPDATE: ThreatsWatch has some commentary about this power grab.

Normally in such power grabs there is at least some semblance of high ground upon which the claimant stands, so let's looks at the government's foundation:

• The government has national and service-level cyber commands, a national cyber security center, a JTF-GNO, and a Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative . . . but it can't get a passing grade in security.
• To oversee governmental efforts in the cyber security arena a "czar" position has been created, but the job has been open and gone begging for months. The usual suspects for such a job have all demurred because it's a job with a lot of responsibility but no authority. Just the sort of situation one should NOT be in if a cyber security emergency were declared.
• The government doesn't run things that don't lend themselves to the bureaucratic approach well. I won't pick on any specific agency or governmental function, but writ large, when is the last time you had a fast, efficient, effective time with any government agency? The Internet is pretty much the exact opposite of a government bureaucracy, but they would presume to assume even temporary control without adverse results.

Go RTWT: ThreatsWatch.Org - Commentary: From My Cold, Dead Hands