A Spork in the Drawer

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Reminder

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FISA

The Senate voted for cloture on the making-illegal-things-legal FISA bill yesterday by a vote of 80-15. The fifteen heroes:

Biden (D-DE)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Wyden (D-OR)

Senator and presumptive Democratic nominee for president Barack Obama skipped the vote but said:

The bill has changed. So I don't think the security threats have changed, I think the security threats are similar. My view on FISA has always been that the issue of the phone companies per se is not one that overrides the security interests of the American people. (Video at link.)

Which leads to this:

'nuff said.

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Den. Dodd Explains It All

Say "hello" to a Senator today.

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Arlen

E-mail from Jane:

The House passed a version of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) last week that included retroactive immunity to the telecom companies that conspired in Bush's warrantless wiretapping program. And now, as the bill heads to the Senate, it looks like we have one last chance to stop this massive erosion of the rule of law.

Thankfully, we have a few champions, like Russ Feingold and Chris Dodd, who look poised to fight this to the very end, but they can't do it alone. They need both strong support from progressive senators and the vote of those senators currently sitting on the fence. This is where you come in.

Sen. Specter could be the deciding voice and vote on stopping retroactive immunity. Please take a minute right now to give him a call and ask him to strip the retroactive immunity provision of FISA.

You can call either by dialing the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, or by using our list of direct number for target senators.

After you are done with the call, please take a moment to let us know how the call went.

Senator Feingold effectively summed up the insanity of retroactive immunity yesterday by saying, "It doesn't simply have the impact of potentially allowing telephone companies to break the law. It may prevent us from ever getting to the core issue...which is the president ran an illegal program that could've been an impeachable offense."

I hope that you'll join me and do what you can to help prevent this from happening.

Thank you,

Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake

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Monday Poll

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Intending To Shove

Athenae:

I’m not denying there have been times in the past when I’ve critically underestimated Obama, when I’ve considered him to be making some incredibly boneheaded centrist blunder when actually he was doing something smart, but in this case, if this was an attempt to seem reasonable, I don’t think it’s descending into the madness of “woe is me” ism to say that it ain’t gonna work, it’s never worked, never ever ever. You are a liberal terrorist-loving gay-marrying pussy no matter what you do, because that’s who you are to them, and it’s not dependent on your actions. It’s dependent on their need for an enemy. And a cheap joke. And some fucking Wiz wit or whatever. It’s not about you. Get that through your skull. To the right-wing bullies who have run and still run our politics, you barely exist except as a target.

Read the whole thing.

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Question Answered

Obama supports telecom immunity. Meaning that he supports an authoritarian presidency.

I'll vote for Obama in November - really, there's not much of a choice - but I won't be otherwise supporting him.

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To Hell With Jason Altmire

I had chance to speak to Rep. Jason Altmire (PA-11 04) last March. Without revealing my position on the matter I asked him if telecom immunity was dead. Altmire responded that it wasn't completely dead but at any rate he was absolutely opposed to immunity.

Well lookee here.

Ironically, just today I received in the mail a letter from Altmire asking for campaign cash. Obviously his campaign thought that I would support him like I did in 2006.

Good luck in the rematch with Missy, jackass.

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You WILL Obey

Sen. Kit Bond (R-Just Following Orders) this morning:

When the government tells you to do something I think you all recognize that that is something you need to do.

Says it all.

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Liars

Fred Hiatt's Washington Post.

For a necessary corrective see Glenn Greenwald.

And it takes a Republican to encapsulate what happened yesterday:

“I think the White House got a better deal than even they had hoped to get,” said Senator Christopher S. Bond, Republican of Missouri, who led the negotiations.

It's not a question of the Democrats being spineless but of just how spineless they are.

Thanks again, Steny and Jay and Nancy and Harry.

Given the choice between a Republican and someone who acts like a Republican, people will vote for the real Republican all the time.

- President Harry S Truman

Join the fight!

After Dick Gephart betrayed the majority of House Democrats and plotted with Bush, Cheney and some Blue Dogs to thwart the will of the majority and rubber stamp Bush’s decision to attack and occupy Iraq, he was forced out of his role as Democratic Leader. Steny Hoyer deserves the exact same fate.

Oh, and where is the putative leader of the Democrats, Barack Obama? Where's Sen. Hillary Clinton?

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Another Person Who's Happy Today

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Taken Pure

When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty -- to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.

- Abraham Lincoln, letter to Joshua Speed, 24 August, 1855

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"Well, when the president does it that means that it is not illegal"

Remind me why I support the Democrats.

Thanks Steny, Jay, Nancy, Harry, and all the Blue Dogs.

His dream finally realized.

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Ye Olde Mailbag

From Jane:

Dear michael,

At this point it seems that all is lost on FISA. It looks like in the process of negotiating a compromise with the Senate, the House will be forced to have an up-or-down vote on retroactive immunity. We shouldn't expect that vote to go our way.

But rather than getting mad while we watch the Fourth Amendment go up in flames, we're going to start getting even.

We've picked out some of most reactionary Democrats, and are turning it over to progressive activists like you to decide who the worst offenders are. We'll then run ads and robo-calls in their congressional districts to let their constituents know how poorly their Representative is representing their rights.

Go here to cast your vote and chip in to the effort to hold Congress accountable:
http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/getevenforfisa

We're starting our effort to get even on several of the Blue Dog Democrats: John Barrow (GA-12), Leonard Boswell (IA-3), Chris Carney (PA-10), Brad Ellworth (IN-8), Zack Space (OH-18), and Heath Shuler (NC-11). This pack of conservatives may caucus the right way, but they actively work to undermine progressive values, including sending a letter to Speaker Pelosi last week encouraging her to grant the telecom companies retroactive immunity.

Since the final votes haven't been cast yet on FISA, hopefully we can shame some of them into righting their moral compass and voting against retroactive immunity. If not, we'll make sure that each one of their constituents knows about it.

Vote on your least favorite here:
http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/getevenforfisa

Hopefully when it comes down to the wire, things will go our way, and the House Democrats will stand up for the rule of law. In the meantime, however, we would be naive not to start taking action to hold them accountable if they don't.

Thank you for taking action,

Jane Hamsher, Glenn Greenwald, Howie Klein, and the Firedoglake Team

P.S. This is just the first part of this effort. You can rest assured that we'll hold Republicans accountable for their role too.

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KO

Keith finally uses the "F-word."

"You are a liar, Mr. Bush. And after showing some skill at it, you have ceased to even be a very good liar.

And your minions like John Boehner, your Republican congressional crash dummies who just happen to decide to walk out of Congress when a podium-full of microphones await them, they should just keep walking, out of Congress and, if possible, out of the country."

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Oh Yeah...

I suppose I should mention that alleged Democrats Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Evan Bayh (D-IN), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Herb Kohl (D-WI), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Mark Pryor (D-AR), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Ken Salazar (D-CO), Tom Carper (D-DE), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Jim Webb (D-VA), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Kent Conrad (D-ND), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) this afternoon stripped us of our rights to benefit Bush, Cheney, and the telecommunications industry.

I hope they spend their thirty pieces of silver wisely.

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Reminder

Today:

Dear michael,

Beginning at 2:30 p.m. EST today, the Senate will resume debate on the pending FISA bill, by proceeding to vote on a series of amendments, most proposed by Democrats, to improve the bill.  Key amendemnts include one jointly sponsored by Sens. Dodd and Feingold to strip the bill of telecom immunity; an amendment from Sen. Feinstein to transfer the telecom cases to the FISA court; an amendment jointly sponsored by Sens. Specter and Whitehouse to substitute the government for the telecoms as defendants; and an amendment from Sen. Feinstein emphasizing that FISA is the "exclusive means" by which the Government can conduct eavesdropping activites.

 

On Thursday, Democratic and Republican leaders reached agreement whereby certain amendments would require only 50 votes to pass, while others would require 60.  It appears that these vote thresholds were set so as to ensure that none of the amendments opposed by the White House could actually pass.  It seems clear that the Senate is well on its way to passing a bill that will provide both telecom immunity and vast new warrantless eavesdropping powers for the President.  Nonetheless, it is still vital to secure as many favorable votes as possible, since that will provide added leverage in trying to pressure the House, which passed a much better bill back in November, to stand firm as it proceeds to negotiate with the Senate over the final bill to be sent to the White House.

 

Marcy Wheeler will be liveblogging the Senate proceedings at http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com.

 

Cheers,

Glenn Greenwald and Jane Hamsher 

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KO

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I Get Mail

From Glenn and Jane:

Dear  michael,

John Edwards should challenge his rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to go back to Washington, DC and fight against retroactive immunity for the telecoms.

The Republicans are not going to let Harry Reid punt and extend the Protect America Act for another 18 months so it looks like the FISA bill is going to come back up again on Monday. Chris Dodd's objection to Unanimous Consent still stands, so they will pick up in the middle of the Motion to Proceed debate.

Without the help of the presidential candidates, we are doomed to lose this fight. And all their calls for change will ring hollow if they allow George Bush to railroad this bill through a supine Democratic-controlled Senate because of their absence.

You can email Senator Edwards directly at john@johnedwards.com.

Cheers,

Jane Hamsher & Glenn Greenwald

You know what to do.

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I Get Mail

Dear michael,

I count the past year of campaigning for the presidency as one of the most rewarding in a career of public service.

Unfortunately, I am withdrawing from that campaign tonight.

But there is no reason to hang our heads this evening -- only the opportunity to look towards a continuation of the work we started last January: ending the Iraq War, restoring the Constitution, and putting a Democrat in the White House.

I know a lot of you came to this email list through a shared desire to return our nation to one that respects the rule of law, and I want to make one thing clear to all of you:

The fight to restore the Constitution and stop retroactive immunity does not end with my Presidential campaign. FISA will come back in a few weeks and my pledge to filibuster ANY bill that includes retroactive immunity remains operative.

You've been an invaluable ally in the battle, and I'll need you to stick by my side despite tonight's caucus results.

So, one more time, thank you for all of your efforts throughout the course of this entire Presidential campaign.

We made a real difference in shaping the debate, and we'll continue to do so in the coming days, weeks and years.

I'll never forget you, and what we've fought for, together, over the past year.

Chris Dodd

Harry Reid's worst nightmare will be returning to the Senate full-time.

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Hero

Show Sen. Dodd some love or just say thanks.

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Sign The Letter

Over at the Lake, Jane has this:

We’re joining together with the following people to send a letter to Harry Reid to tell him to respect Chris Dodd’s hold on any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecom companies:

American Civil Liberties Union
ColorofChange.org
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Moveon.org Political Action
Working Assets Wireless
Duncan Black, Atrios
Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, DailyKos
Glenn Greenwald, Salon
Matt Stoller, OpenLeft
John Aravosis, Americablog
Chris Bowers, OpenLeft
Taylor Marsh Taylormarsh.com
Digby, Hullaballo
John Amato, Crooks and Liars
Howie Klein, DownWithTyranny

We want you to be a part of it. If you feel strongly about this issue, please co-sign the letter to Harry Reid with us (you can view the entire letter here). (.pdf-ed.)

This is important.

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I Get E-mail

Let's get right to it and talk about how we stop retroactive telecommunications immunity from becoming law.

The way I see it, there are three ways to get this provision stripped from the final bill:

1.) The first step would be to make sure the idea doesn't make it out of the Senate Judiciary Committee -- where it will be considered shortly.

If we can get it stripped there, it will have to be offered as an amendment to the overall bill where it will be a lot easier to get 41 votes against retroactive immunity than 41 to sustain my filibuster if necessary.

Take a moment and call up members of the committee, let me know what they said, and join others in tracking our progress in stopping the provision right there.

http://chrisdodd.com/immunity

The other two ways:

2.) If retroactive immunity does make it out of committee, Senate leadership can honor the hold I've placed on any legislation that includes retroactive immunity.

3.) If leadership does not honor my hold, I remain committed to filibustering, and working to get the 41 votes necessary to maintain it.

This has the potential to be a long fight -- so let's build a solid foundation for our effort today by asking members of the Judiciary Committee to vote against any FISA bill that includes retroactive amnesty.

http://chrisdodd.com/immunity

I'd like to see a little more spine, frankly, on these issues. People tell us they want to lead, but a little leadership right now would certainly be welcomed on these questions.

I don't want to, but I'm not afraid to do this alone.

Chris

And just this morning, as Marcy notes, AT&T needs a favor from BushCo™:

AT&T has been consulting lawyers in Washington about how long it would take to get government approval to purchase either EchoStar Communications Corp. or DirecTV Group Inc., people familiar with the matter said. If it does make a bid for one of the satellite providers, AT&T could unveil the offer before year's end in hopes of getting federal antitrust officials to approve the combination before a new administration takes over, these people say.

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ADDED: Atrios sums up:

George Bush says "Give me everything I want, including retroactive immunity for telecom companies for breaking the law or I'll veto it."

Democrats then have a choice. They can send him more reasonable legislation, at which point he vetoes it and says the Democrats are going to let Al Qaeda eat your babies. Subsequently, they can either point out that George Bush vetoed the anti-Al Qaeda baby cannibalism bill or they can scamper like cowards and give him everything he wants.

Or they can just give him everything he wants right away.

This isn't about sensible FISA adjustments, this is about whether George Bush gets the power to do whatever the hell he wants because the Democrats in Congress think the best way to be strong is cave into the bullying of Mr. 24%.

This isn't about sensible FISA adjustments, this is about whether George Bush gets the power to do whatever the hell he wants because the Democrats in Congress think the best way to be strong is cave into the bullying of Mr. 24%.

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