FISA Follies

The abject worthlessness of the Democratic party was on full display with how they collectively handled the FISA issue -- which is to say they didn't handle it collectively at all.

Say what you will about the Republicans -- and there's a to say -- when it comes time to vote on an issue they usually get their ducks in line. Here and there the Democrats may shave off a couple of GOP members on a particular issue, although rarely enough to make up for the number of Democrats who get chipped off their bloc.

The Democrats area different story. More than once, some really bad legislation wanted by the administration has been passed by enlisting a substantial number of Democrats to vote with the nearly unanimous GOP. So we have the amazing sight of the so-called majority party caving in to the minority party line, despite the unpopularity of the minority party and its president. While they were the majority party, the Republicans were able to act as though they owned a supermajority despite the fact their edge was actually rather narrow, due to this Democratic habit.

The problem for the Democrats is that the public perceives them as being weak, fractious and ineffective. This is a problem because the public perception happens to be accurate. This perception, more than anything else, will pose a problem for the Democrats down the line unless they manage to change. Their time on top may not be as long-lived as it was before because the Republicans, should they manage to regain their conservative soul (see Andrew Sullivan for more on that) will be poised for a quick comeback.

Obama's flip-flop on this issue is a disappointment, although it doesn't change the basic calculus that the only way to mitigate the damage done is to have a change of party.

FISA fight not over

No vote until July 8th, now.

There's still hope for figthing this off, apparently.

Every delay is a victory. If there's no vote this summer then it can become a campaign issue.

Here's Glenn Greenwald explaining why that's a good thing: http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/

FISA follies

There's certainly a good case to be made for adjusting the FISA provisions. The problem is that the normal benefit of the doubt one would like to extend to an administration cannot be extended to this one.

Just today, even as the House voted to trust Bush one more time, his former press spokesman was in a nearby hearing room outlining all the ways the administration lied, shaded the truth, overstated intel and generally demonstrated that trust was undeserved.

The immunity provision is the rub. There seems to be no other mechanism to hold the lawbreaking accountable other than civil lawsuits, considering that Congress apparently is helpless to do it's oversight job. The sad thing is that Congress, while unable or unwilling to do its job, is more than willing to stop anyone else from doing it either.

Greenwald on the real issue

Nobody has done more streling service in defense of liberty in the face of Bushist lawlessness than Glenn Greenwald. He's well worth reading.
Today he zeroes in on the real point of the FISA controversy:
One other vital point: The claim that telecoms will cease to cooperate without retroactive immunity is deeply dishonest on multiple levels, but the dishonesty is most easily understood when one realizes that, under the law, telecoms are required to cooperate with legal requests from the government. They don't have the option to "refuse." Without amnesty, telecoms will be reluctant in the future to break the law again, which we should want. But there is no risk that they will refuse requests to cooperate with legal surveillance, particularly since they are legally obligated to cooperate in those circumstances. The claim the telcoms will cease to cooperate with surveillance requests is pure fear-mongering, and is purely dishonest.

Filibustering for the Rule of Law

As Glenn Greenwald explains: http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/
Democrat Loser-in-Chief Harry Reid, who hasn't found it necessary to force the GOP to actually filibuster a single thing during his reign, merely let then threaten to do so, in order to kill legislation, is planning to make Chris Dodd conduct an actual talk-til-you-drop filibuster to stop the telecom immunity bill.
Well, as unfair as it is, there is silver lining to all this, because it may cause the issue to get a real public airing. The media would like nothing more than a dramatic filibuster the like of which hasn't been seen in years. There'll be scope for all sorts of stories, CNN live updates and hours and hours of airtime. They were gearing up last time for it but Reid headed it off by delaying
action on the issue until this year.
Evidently Reid, who has no principles himself, can't recognize them in other people and he calculated that Dodd was merely grandstanding for campaign purposes when he announced his filibuster plans. Reid assumed Dodd would drop it once his campaign was over.
Of course Dodd does, actually, appear to have a principled stand on this issue.
What the political hacks who pass for "leaders" these days don't understand is that ordinary people will respect someone with principles, even if they don't agree with them. Two of the most respected presidential candidates are Obama and McCain, who are respected by many who disagree on their policy positions. Meanwhile, the two most disrespected candidates -- Romney and the Clintons, barely have the respect of some people who agree with them and no respect at all from those opposed to their policies.

More Domestic Spying shenanigans

Well, Cheney's at it again, insisting that Congress "act" before Feb. 1 and give the telecoms immunity for breaking the FISA Law.
Dodd appears ready to take up the fight again, but he'll need help.
This would be a good time for Clinton and Obama to show some leadership. Heh.
The "Conventional Wisdom" is that the law will be passed, but hopefully enough of a stink can be raised to keep it from happening. Stay tuned.