Your FISA updates

The line held this week, but there's more to be done.

You can check out mcjoan's posts at Daily Kos:

FISA Fight: Where we stand - Fri Feb 01, 2008 at 10:41:46 AM PST
[This one has phone and fax numbers.]

FISA Fight: Feingold on the agreement - Fri Feb 01, 2008 at 01:15:32 PM PST

FISA Fight: A time to lead - Fri Feb 01, 2008 at 04:31:43 PM PST
[Statements from Obama and Clinton plus the following words of Harry Reid:]

"All last year, I had four Democratic senators running for president. I wish they could all have been elected president, but only one can be. And so two of them are out of that race now. I still have two Democratic senators. As you know, next Tuesday is Super Tuesday, and they're both very busy, as is Senator McCain. So I probably can't get them back here until Monday, but I need them back."

Then there is this:
FISA Update
By: emptywheel Friday February 1, 2008 7:19 am

Apparently, Reid has brokered a Unanimous Consent agreement that everyone, from Feingold and Dodd to Jeff "Mutual Defense" Sessions, have bought off on.

And this:
Dems Capitulate on FISA
By: Jane Hamsher Friday February 1, 2008 2:13 pm

Harry Reid once again used Senate procedure to tank retroactive immunity and other changes Democrats wanted to the FISA bill. George Bush gets everything he ever hoped for.

A special comment by Keith Olbermann:



You may read the transcript of Keith Olbermann's special comment here.

FISA: GOP Blinks (Somewhat)…Let’s Get To Work
By: Christy Hardin Smith Friday February 1, 2008 5:15 am

I'm sure Dick Cheney's admission that telecoms handed over private communications records without a warrant to the Bush Administration had nothing at all to do with this. (H/T to C&L.):
...But the moment he says anything else, any doubt that the telecoms knowingly broke the law, is out the window, and with it, any chance that even the Republicans who are fighting this like they were trying to fend off terrorists using nothing but broken beer bottles and swear words couldn’t consent to retroactively immunize corporate criminals.

Which is why the Vice President probably shouldn’t have phoned in to the Rush Limbaugh Propaganda-Festival yesterday.

Sixth sentence out of Mr. Cheney’s mouth: The FISA bill is about, quote, “retroactive liability protection for the companies that have worked with us and helped us prevent further attacks against the United States.”

Oops. Mr. Cheney is something of a loose cannon, of course. But he kind of let the wrong cat out of the bag there.

Good one, Dick. In my business, we like to call this an "admission against interest."

Glenn Greenwald is pessimistic about the deals that mcjoan finds positive:

The whole agreement seems designed to ensure that the GOP gets everything they want -- that they are able to defeat all of the pending amendments which Dick Cheney dislikes, and to do so without having to engage in a real filibuster. In what conceivable way is this an instance of "Dems not caving" or "holding tough?" This is how CQ described the agreement:

Republicans pressed for the threshold to head off any amendments that would significantly change the bill, which was negotiated with the White House.

I commend Greenwald's post, including the updates.

A lot to sort out. I am sure Cheney-Bush want us confused, throwing our hands up because it's not simple. I admit I get a headache trying to know exactly what I want our Senators to do. Besides kneecapping Bush and ripping out the Cheneybot's pacemaker with their bare hands (for starters).

Well, I guess my testosterone is ramping up for the Superbowl. I daresay I would like to see some giants among the patriots of this land accomplish something memorable.

WE CAN SEND A CLEAR MESSAGE TO ALL OUR SENATORS THAT WE DO NOT WANT THE RULE OF LAW COMPROMISED BY ALLOWING TELCOM IMMUNITY.
--the BB