69 Senators Unfit for Their Jobs

The Senate has approved a bill overhauling the rules on secret government eavesdropping and granting immunity to telecom companies that helped listen in on Americans after Sept. 11.

The Senate passed the bill Wednesday, 69-28. It turned back three amendments that would have watered down, delayed or stripped away the immunity provision demanded by President Bush.

Silence.

House Passes FISA Bill

Steny Hoyer is pathetic:

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Friday that could shield phone companies that participated in President George W. Bush's warrantless surveillance program begun after the September 11 attacks from billions of dollars in privacy lawsuits.

Drafted by Democratic and Republican negotiators, the White House-backed measure would also overhaul of U.S. spy powers. The Senate is expected to give the bill final approval next week, clearing the way for Bush to sign it into law.

Way to cave. Way to cave.

FISA Fight Aint Over

Go House Dems!

Telcos Get Retroactive Immunity

69 Senators hate accountability:

Let there be no doubt: a majority of senators, and a large number of Democrats, think the telecoms should not suffer the hazard of accountability for cooperating with the administration's warrantless wiretapping program. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) took to the floor last night to give a speech asking, "This is our defining question, the question that confronts every generation: The rule of law, or the rule of men?" The resounding answer: the rule of men.

Let's see if the final bill is filibustered. This is outrageous.

(note: Obama voted for the amendment. Kudos)

FISA

Our leadership done alright for change. McJoan has the details.

Now we need to win these votes! Call, write, or bake a cake for your congresscritter!

Dodd Makes a Speech

FISA Telecom Immunity:

So I am left to conclude that, to the president, this isn’t about security. It’s about power: power in itself, power for itself.

I make that point not to change the subject, but because I believe it solves a mystery. That is: Why is retroactive immunity so vital to this president? The answer, I believe, is that immunity means secrecy; and secrecy, to this administration, means power.

We need more leadership like this.

I Think We Just Got a New Primary Target

Rockefeller:

The Democratic-led U.S. Senate will approve President George W. Bush's demand that telephone companies that participated in his warrantless domestic spying program receive retroactive immunity from lawsuits, a top lawmaker predicted on Wednesday.

"I think we will prevail," Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman John Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat and a chief sponsor of the bill, told reporters.

Completely unacceptable. I want senators who will lead the country by honest and progressive principles, not Cheney's twisted version of reality.

Dodd for majority leader '08!

No Pay, No Play

We've gone from the ridiculous to the sublime:

Telephone companies cut off FBI wiretaps used to eavesdrop on suspected criminals because of the bureau's repeated failures to pay phone bills on time, according to a Justice Department audit released Thursday.

The faulty bookkeeping is part of what the audit, by the Justice Department's inspector general, described as the FBI's lax oversight of money used in undercover investigations. Poor supervision of the program also allowed one agent to steal $25,000, the audit said.

More than half of 990 bills to pay for telecommunication surveillance in five unidentified FBI field offices were not paid on time, the report shows. In one office alone, unpaid costs for wiretaps from one phone company totaled $66,000.

And at least once, a wiretap used in a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act investigation — the highly secretive and sensitive cases that allow eavesdropping on suspected terrorists or spies — "was halted due to untimely payment."

David Kurtz sums up:

Supporters of telecom immunity argue that the telecoms were doing their patriotic duty by caving to Administration requests for illegal wiretapping. That patriotism apparently has its limits: like when the government fails to pay the wiretapping phone bills.

Where's my Rapture when I need it.

That's Not How Things Work

How many times have you heard that line from people who work in politics? To them, everyone on the outside who actually stands for an ideal is a naive, clueless hillbilly.

Dodd's FISA victory yesterday proved that that's now how things work.

On a somewhat related note, Atrios:

One of my pet peeves has long been a certain strain of defeatism. Understandably we all feel defeated at times, but there's a certain kind of defeatist out there on the internets, people who spend most of their time chastising others for thinking it's possible to have any influence and attacking the "stupidity" of those who even bother to try. Maybe those people are right. Maybe there never is anything to be done. But if that's the case, get a new goddamn hobby.

Idealism, passion courage and keeping a level head will win the day, every day.

Reid Pulls FISA Bill

Dodd won this round, but let's be clear about what's at stake: he's only delayed the bill for a couple weeks until after New Year's. While we hope that McConnell will release enough information on the administration's program that Senators will be able to make an informed decision, I wouldn't bet on it.

Let's keep up the pressure to strip telco immunity out of the FISA bill.

Filibuster Telecom Immunity

More Dodd:

It's time to see the Senate stand up for the rule of law.

You don't demonstrate leadership in the footnotes of a press release, or parroting responses from focus groups.

Leadership is demonstrated through action.

That's not so hard, is it?

Support Dodd, pay a visit to the site, email or call your Senators. The fight for telecom immunity is about being able to unlock the door to many of Bush's abuses - even pre-9/11 abuses - over the years. Granting the telcos immunity now means letting everyone off the hook forever.

Quick! Somebody Fire Joe Klein!

He can't read, and therefore should shut the fuck up.

FISA Bill Moving Along

It's out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and immunity has yet to be debated on the Senate floor. Christy says:

What all of this means is that the fight on immunity gets saved for the floor of the Senate, at least that is how I’m reading all of this. Which means that it is time for the Presidential candidates to put their leadership on the table. And I don’t mean just Sen. Chris Dodd with everyone else trying to coast along on his coattails. I mean really standing up for the constitution and the rule of law out front and out loud – because real patriots stand up when their nation needs them.

While we’re at it, Sen. Dodd has asked for a hold on this bill. Please take a little time to call Sen. Harry Reid and tell him to respect the hold. You can reach Sen. Reid’s office at (202) 224-3542.

Call. Please. This one's really important.

No Immunity for Telcos

Because it's not like they spied on us or anything:

AT&T Inc plans on Wednesday to introduce a nationwide program giving owners of small- and medium-size businesses some of the same tools big security firms offer for remotely monitoring employees, customers and operations, the New York Times said in its online edition.

Under AT&T's Remote Monitor program, a business owner could install adjustable cameras, door sensors and other gadgets at up to five different company locations across the country, the newspaper reported.

Too profitable for their own good.