Is the goal to stop the bill, or to impact the '08 presidential? --casual observer

For me, the goal is nothing less than the restoration of the Constitution and the return of our country to the rule of law. Because of the concentration of power in the hands of the president that has occurred during the present administration, this can only be fully achieved through the actions of the next president. Based on the response to Dodd's statements on this issue, I don't think that I am alone in making this my single highest priority in the upcoming election. Whether the illegal wiretapping is going to be allowed to continue and whether the telecoms complicit in this illegal activity are granted immunity are the central points of contention in this issue.

To date, only Chris Dodd has shown clarity on this issue. He is providing leadership. Clinton and Obama, as the frontrunners, simply must be forced to take a stand on this vitally important issue. There are two reasons that I see for this approach.

First, although Dodd's principled stand in announcing a hold reverberated throughout the blogosphere, there was virtually no notice in the M$M. Forcing Clinton and Obama to take a stand guarantees wider coverage on a vital issue. As you mention, if they fail to take a clear, non-nuanced position supporting the Constitution, Dodd is strengthened by comparison and has an increased likelihood of stepping into the upper tier of candidates.

Second, if either of these front-runners takes a principled stand, their candidacy is likely to receive a substantial boost. It is clear from polling that Americans in general are against illegal wiretapping and against retroactive immunity. I think that taking a stand here, for example, could propel Obama over Clinton.

Having jumped into the Dodd campaign, I would hope and expect that should Clinton or Obama jump into a more solid lead based on this issue, they would look kindly on the prospect of Dodd as a running mate. If he can't be president, I think Chris Dodd would be the anti-Cheney as vice president. Obama-Dodd has a strong appeal to it, don't you think?

Thanks for the links to the two petitions. Although I have been contacting my Congressfolk frequently, I couldn't resist adding a message in the MoveOn message field. I started friendly enough with Bill Nelson, but my rage built until I really unloaded on my local congressman:

Senator Nelson,

Please stand up for our Constitution. Please join real leaders like Senators Dodd, Feingold and Biden in placing a hold on any FISA legislation that includes retroactive immunity for telecoms that illegally aided the Bush Administration in conducting warrantless wiretaps.

Senator Martinez,

Now that you no longer chair the RNC, please join the real world and stand up for the Constitution. Now is your chance to be a real patriot.

Represenative Stearns,

Please put aside your long history of enabling this Administration to ruin our military, bankrupt our country, destroy our standing in the world, dismantle the Constitution and show utter disregard for the rule of law. Just once, please stand up for the Constitution and vote against any FISA legislation containing retroactive immunity for telecoms. Our country has many years of hard work to undo the damage that you have enabled the Bush Administration to inflict on the country. Please join us in stopping it here and now.

Given that the World Series is starting today, a baseball analogy seems appropriate.

Obama is up to bat today and two pitches are approaching simultaneously.

One pitch is a slow one right down the middle of the plate, in the form of FISA retroactive immunity. This should be an easy one for just about any batter to drive out of the park.

The other pitch is a nasty, inside slider, in the form of black homophobia. The best batters can drive this one to the wall for extra bases, competent ones will foul it off and those unsure of their abilities will take a strike.

Will he swing at either one?

Will he end the day down in the count 0-2?

At Chris Dodd's website, they have put up a very useful table with the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and their current position on the inclusion of retroactive immunity. By clicking on a link, you are then given an individual Senator's phone number and a web form to fill in reporting on your call to the office. Reports are starting to come in, and so far only John Kyl has said he will vote for immunity while Joe Biden and Russ Feingold have announced they will vote against it. I didn't have time to call them all, but was told that Senators Schumer, Kennedy, Feinstein and Specter have not yet announced their decisions. Specter's office told me they do not announce positions prior to committee votes. Kennedy's office reminded me that the Senator has been out of the office due to health issues. We need eight more votes to strip retroactive immunity from the bill as it leaves the committee.

Link: http://chrisdodd.com/immunity