One victory in the Senate; much lies ahead

Glenn Greenwald reports in an update:

UPDATE III: The vote on the Motion for Cloture on the 30-day extension (i.e., to proceed to a vote on it) just failed -- 48-45 (again, 60 votes are needed). All Democrats (including Clinton and Obama) voted in favor of the Motion, but no Republicans did -- not a single one. Thus, at least as of today, there will be no 30-day extension of the PAA and it will expire on Friday.

Reid, however, indicated that it was certain that the House will vote in favor of an extension tomorrow, which means it will be sent to the Senate for another vote. It's possible, then, that the Senate will vote again later in the week on an extension, but it's hard to imagine any Republicans ever voting in favor of an extension since Bush has vowed to veto it.

By blocking an extension, Republicans just basically assured that the PAA -- which they spent the last seven months shrilly insisting was crucial if we are going to be Saved from The Terrorists -- will expire on Friday without any new bill in place. Since the House is going out of session after tomorrow, there is no way to get a new bill in place before Friday. The Republicans, at Bush's behest, just knowingly deprived the intelligence community of a tool they have long claimed is so vital. Is the media going to understand and be able to explain what the Republicans just did? Yes, that's a rhetorical question.

You can read the whole post here. Greenwald's prior discussion of what is at stake is here.

Smintheus at Daily Kos updates thus:

Update 5: Cloture defeated by a vote of 48 ayes to 45 nays! Debate continues on the FISA bill. Take a bow, this is a tremendous victory and a big humiliation for Bush and his Republican enablers. - smintheus

Update 6: Now the Senate is proceeding to the second cloture vote, this time to vote on a bill to extend the current temporary FISA bill for 30 days beyond its expiration date on Feb. 5. Republicans are trying to block cloture on this bill. McConnell was blubbering on the floor that the bill is no good because Bush has threatened to veto it. He doesn't seem to realize that there are a lot of Dems who'd like to call Bush's bluff: If Bush vetoes the extension, then it shows he doesn't think the FISA bill is essential - or else he cares more about giving telecoms amnesty than he does about protecting America. - smintheus

Update 7: The second cloture vote fails as well (by the same margin, 48 'aye', 45 'nay'). So we're back to debating the original bill. - smintheus

Jane Hamsher writes at Firedoglake under the heading "Dick Cheney Telecom Amnesty Bill Liveblog Thread #4":

Cloture on the 30 day extension fails. The vote was along straight party lines. It was one of the most brazen things the Republicans have ever done in the Senate, refusing to pass an extension of protections they are always telling us are "vital" to American security -- for purely political purposes.

...

Tomorrow, the Senate will take up the subject of the Intelligence Committee version of the FISA bill again.

So there's your update, fellow citizens. Thanks to all who contacted their senators to oppose telcom immunity. We may have to go several more rounds but the line was held this time around. It is refreshing to see the Senate say "No" to Cheney and Bush. Pity they have done it so rarely while the Constitution was being dismantled. But we can celebrate this skirmish!

Next up: Bush's Lies to the Union speech. Get your emesis basins ready.
--the BB