Feb 12 2008

FISA Failings {updated}

I have to apologize to all the readers of this site.

A series of hugely important votes is occurring right now in the Senate, I just cannot bear to write about yet another capitulation to Bushco of our Constitutional rights and indeed, the very structure of our government…the former democracy that was The United States of America. As KagroX puts it: US Senate commits suicide on national television.

Sorry

Fortunately we have folks in the blogosphere that are made of sterner stuff than I. Like mcjoan and Kagro and Big Tent Democrat and the inestimable Glenn Greenwald

I’ll try to do better, the next time our country and all it stands for gets thrown under the bus by the Repubs and the Dems who love them.

{update} Fuck you, Jay Rockefeller

26 comments

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  2. It’s hard to write after being thrown under the bus.

  3. and Clinton did not show.

    I feel quite literally heartsick at watching “Democrats” come down in favor of immunity for the telecoms.

    It quite simply appears to me that that this Congress has been purchased by the lobbyists for the telecommunications companies.

    What other explantion is there?

    • TMC on February 12, 2008 at 19:28
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    It is painful to read and was painful to watch. I cannot believe what is happening to our country. What in heaven’s name is wrong with these people?

  5. it’s surprising anyone has any words left after all the serial  betrayals from our friends in Congress. Grrrrr….  

  6. … that it hurts the brain to read about this.

    Kagro X has done outstanding work on covering this issue, as well as covering the inherent contempt process and impeachment.  Given how painful this information is, I have an even higher regard for him.

  7. …check out this little snippet from Politico’s Web site:

    The vote also provided an opportunity to showcase the key differences on national security between presidential candidates, as Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) voted against immunity for telecoms, and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.),  voted to keep immunity in the bill. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) did not show up for the vote. All three candidates were in the Washington area for the region’s three primaries today.

    Emphasis added.

    That’s right, HRC couldn’t drag her DLC ass downtown to uphold the Constitution.

    Equally bad:

    Moderate Democrats like Jim Webb of Virginia and Ben Nelson of Nebraska voted with Republicans on the amendment.

    Yes, my “champion” freshman Dem. Senator from Virginia did the WRONG thing.  Ironically, his name never appeared on the daily emergency lists put out by KagroX and mcjoan of the Senators who needed to be called, because he was already counted as a RIGHT vote.

    Disgusting!

    • kj on February 12, 2008 at 23:23
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    I won’t recount the entire conversation, which was, as might expect, mostly one-sided on my part, but I did call Claire McCaskill’s office re: her vote.  I’ve called before.  I let the staffer/intern know where I had lived previously, in the heart of rural red, and I knew what a tough battle Claire faced to unseat Jim Talent after losing to Matt Blunt two years before… that I wasn’t some wild ass liberal but I was a pissed off liberal and supporter who was completely knocked flat by her vote after I had been lent to think she would vote against immunity and I wanted an answer and if the answer was for campaign contributions then just say that, but tell me, because I would find someone else to support in her re-election if she didn’t come clean about this issue.  And if she thought this vote was a vote a Democrat would make, I wanted to know what she thought Democrats stood for.

    Well, I guess I just did recount most of the conversation.  I’m going to get a form letter, you know it.

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