Remember the elections of 2006? That sweeping victory of protest against the republicans? Pelosi and Reid were supposed to give them hell, no more vacationing rubber stamp Congress? Apparently the exit polls weren’t the only thing we got wrong in that election. The Senate let by Democrat In Name Only Harry Reid, has passed a FISA bill that would allow for telecom immunity and the president has called on the house to agree to it. The bill had large bi-partisan support, specifically surrounding the telcom immunity issue.
For all the huffing and puffing done in 2006 about the first 100 days and how everything was going to change, it seems the song remains the same. The more we watch the Pelosi/Reid tag team unfold the more red we see seeping through. While the House passed a version of this bill that lacks telecom immunity the rhetoric against it has certainly dimmed. Indications seem now that the House will vote again and likely pass the Senate version. When they’ll do it remains in question.
If we follow the Bush/Cheney line, the House has had six months to get on board with telcom immunity and they haven’t. So any more requests for extensions to the existing bill won’t be tolerated. Interesting coming from a president who’s key focus is allegedly terrorism and national security. The FISA bill and telecom immunity are so important they must be passed immediately. Yet, if it isn’t done his way on his time table he’ll veto any extensions or bills that lack what he wants. That would seem to imply the situation isn’t all that dire, if you know, he’s willing to put the country in harms way while he stamps around like the boy king who didn’t get his way. What would happen were we to be attacked again during this particular standoff window? He holds a mid afternoon presser saying he’s not going to respond because we deserved it?
The reality is, he doesn’t care when it gets passed because the existing wiretap orders and spying would go on reagardless of what happens to the law. The administration would also still be allowed to do wiretapping under the existing FISA law. Not only that but if this administrations track record is any indication, they’d likely go on doing whatever they wanted to with maybe a few nicely worded executive orders and signing statements. If it gets passed with telecom immunity he wins because he keeps his friends out of court. If it doesn’t pass and it goes to a standoff he still wins because then he can paint the democratically controlled congress as weak on national security. Even though public opinon in favor of domestic wiretapping and telecom immunity is very low.
Reid is likely doing the math that he has to cave or be faced with that alleged “weakness” going into an election year that could be key for democrats. Perhaps. But what of getting the House and Senate to pass a version of this bill without telecom immunity and sending that to the president? If the president vetos it, he’s opening us to a threat and the democrats still put forward a bill. Of course, Reid and his posse in the Senate can’t rightly do that now because he’s been for telecom immunity since it was put on the table. Again, because he’s a democrat in name only, and unlikely to rise up anyway being the human manifestation of cornflakes that he is.
I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to remble for the safety of my country. Corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.
-Abraham Lincoln, 1864
Chris Dodd (Why oh why can’t he be running the Senate?) made a great speech against the bill yesterday, and Obama voted against it. Hillary was no where to be found. Someone might point out that the next time she wants to go after Obama for voting present so many times, as we fail to see a bill on the slate recently that is even half as important as the FISA issue.
Further:
Senate Authorizes Broad Expansion Of Surveillance Act
Intelligence Bill: New carte blanche
What is this freedom your professors and doctors are so adamant about? The freedom to molest students and patients without their families being able to utter any protest? Is this what privacy is all about? Democracy is based on transparency. The word idiot is cognate with the Greek for privacy. Your voter registration is public so labor can prevent a Republican from getting a union job. Your property deed is public so you can be held accountable. Swiss Bank privacy only was created during the nazi era.