Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) stepped up to the plate this week to make it clear that his bill to secure federal IT systems does not give the president the authority to shut down the Internet. A statement from his spokesman said: "To be very clear, the Rockefeller-Snowe bill will not empower a 'government shut down or takeover of the Internet' and any suggestion otherwise is misleading and false."

The legislation, co-sponsored by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) is intended to protect the nation's critical IT infrastructure. There has been plenty of confusion over what this bill does or does not do. The first draft of the legislation gave the president the power to shut down the Internet in the event of a national emergency, while the revised draft does not include the same language.

Nevertheless, the idea has created plenty of blog talk about what power the president has and when. And it has caused lots of angry reactions from critics who think it still gives the president too much power.

Govinfosecurity.com, which reported on this latest development, suggests the bill's sponsors don't have the support in the Senate for a law granting the president the sweeping power necessary to limit Internet traffic. However, it also suggests the president may already have the power over the Internet in a national emergency. It stands to reason that the president has the power to act in an emergency, regardless of whether it is a natural disaster or a man made one.

For more on presidential power and the Internet:
- see this govinfosecurity.com article