Letters to the Editor
Published Letters: 360 Editor's Choice: 12
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Thanks for those summaries.
[Read the article: Lawbreaking telecoms still conniving to obtain immunity from Congress]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Glenn and Jim.
I do recall very clearly that the effect of Dodd's actions was to reverse the impact of the looming recess. Instead of making it easier to railroad through a bad bill, as happened last August, it forced Reid to capitulate so he could get to bills that had to be passed.
There's no deadline on this one.
BTW, for NYers, Raginggurrl and I will be at Drinking Liberally, at Rudy's, 627 9th avenue, between 44 and 45, recording video of citizen support for Dodd, starting at 7:30.
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Credo/Working Assets Long Distance
[Read the article: Lawbreaking telecoms still conniving to obtain immunity from Congress]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Jim Dean's DFA is running a campaign to have people switch their mobile phones to a provider that does not engage in surveillance -- they say Sprint is one, and it has provided them with a means by which people can change their cell phone company to "DFA". Worth checking out.
http://www.credolongdistance.com/
You can obtain wireless and land line service from Working Assets, now called Credo, that will not be tapped. Part of their service delivery includes support for progressive causes.
And they throw in a free pint of Ben and Jerry's every month.
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RMP
[Read the article: Lawbreaking telecoms still conniving to obtain immunity from Congress]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The reason that it is important that Clinton and Obama support Dodd on this issue is that they have the megaphones. The only way to drown out the Rovian lies about the nature of this legislation is if people that the press has to cover talk about it in very clear terms. They have to say, very loudly and very clearly that the Judiciary version of FISA is not in any way damaging to American national security.
I think they have to do this in their own interests as well. They need to take back this issue and call them on their fearmongering. Take a page out of Rove's book and attack a perceived strength. Because I don't think it is a strength any longer.
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RMP
[Read the article: Lawbreaking telecoms still conniving to obtain immunity from Congress]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]First, the reason the battle is uphill is because the Democrats are not committed to winning it. Obama and Clinton can make that hill much less steep by leading. That's what they say they are going to do, and if either of them embrace this position, the other will have to--as with the supplemental funding bill for the occupation. Yes, as Matt said below, they are going to be hearing from their "strategists" and they're going to worry about the soft on Terrah attack ads.
But they have Democratic primaries to win, and, as turnout is showing, a Democratic electorate who is really wants the doormat days to be over.
And they are going to run those soft on Terrah attack ads anyway. They don't have anything else. They pumped the brown immigrants issue as hard as they could, and it didn't get any traction. We'll be in recession in the summer with no mechanisms available to get us out of it.
Moreover, in the absence of any credible terror plots, it's increasingly difficult to scare people. This is the moment, and the issue to use, to seize control of the national security argument.
Clinton and Obama need to stand up and lead. This is winnable. Reid wouldn't have to use legislative stealth and trickery to do this if it were not winnable. They know what the popular position is. And the presidential candidates certainly know what their base wants.
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bystander
[Read the article: Lawbreaking telecoms still conniving to obtain immunity from Congress]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]There will be no withdrawal until Iraq has a national defense force. And Iraq will not, in the foreseeable future, have a national defense force. The US certainly isn't going to be giving them airplanes or tanks anytime soon, and have made it clear that they regard this as a Bad Thing when other countries do that.
The occupation is the policy outcome they desired. I happen to believe a permanent state of instability has become a proximate goal, to justify the continued occupation.
That was the policy goal from day one--permanent occupation. They'd expected to be able to install a puppet, failed at that, but the bases were why the war was fought.
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More on Olberman et al
[Read the article: Joe Klein rewrites his role in the 1990s]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Obviously, even before this incident, Olbermann has been an odd man out, distinguished by genuine progressiveness & frequent willingness to break with, and criticise, the Village's group-think.
You know, it will be very interesting to see what happens if the Democrats do take the presidency. I think that many people will be disappointed when some of their favorite people--Froomkin, Josh Marshall, KO, Glenn--shift their emphasis to the people that have acquired power.
Josh took a beating from his readers when he covered Patrick Kennedy's getting out of a DUI as muck to rake. But he stuck to his guns. When one of the many Presidential candidates Glenn has endorsed gets into office, s/he won't get a pass. Same with Olberman.
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KO
[Read the article: Your Harry Reid-led Senate in action]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Nothing on this subject in the Edwards interview.
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DCLaw1
[Read the article: Your Harry Reid-led Senate in action]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I took Glenn's update III to indicate there might be. Tim Tagaris late of Dodd's campaign, at OpenLeft, suggested maybe on CNN, but Edwards gave the same answer on the comportment of the candidates. I have no idea the degree to which the topics of discussion are pre-arranged.
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DCLaw1
[Read the article: Your Harry Reid-led Senate in action]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I quite agree. I think Reid's acceleration of this process is proof positive of this--that a weekend's worth of pressure may made the candidate's buckle--forced them to, as they did on the supplemental, respond to voter pressure.
It's disturbing that they apparently look for ways to avoid voter pressure.