Conspiracy theory: Whoever is behind this doesn't really want every company to rewrite all their software with back doors.
Instead, a 'reasonable' request will be substituted after the initial uproar.
Instead, a 'reasonable' request will be substituted after the initial uproar.
The well-known negotiation technique of anchoring is all that theory is. It seems plausible to me.
I'd sure love to hear what Schneier thinks about it.
The real scenario would be legislation justified with the argument "we want unlimited legal power but we promise to use it just a little" - and this kind of promise always turns out to be bogus.