"i weep for what has become of my country. i NEVER could have imagined that the democratic 'leadership' would be so craven, so cowardly, so utterly without any allegiance to this country, that they would so enthusiastically embrace kidnapping, rape and torture as foreign policy instruments."

My sentiments exactly. I feel like someone who is just finding out a close family member - someone I love, have supported and defended - may in fact be a serial killer. How could this happen behind my back? How did they cover it up so well? What do I do now?

What do I do now?

Back in the 90s I watched the extreme right-wingers give up on the government, declare it illegal and irrelevant, and form bands of armed militias, refusing to acknowledge any but their own authority. It made me shiver. I thought they were kooks (I still do), and I don't want to become them, but on the other hand I have to wonder if my country - the United States of America, founded by angry, brilliant, patriots who were willing to sacrifice so much to create a new democracy that valued truth and integrity - is capable of reacquiring the principles - PRINCIPLES! - that we were once so proud of.

Has the Republican party, this alien species that has seized our political system, found the chink in our democratic form of government that allows people like them to successfully manipulate the voters in ways that ensures their success? Because lets face it, these Republicans are some of the most incompetent politicians this country has ever seen - and look what they have been able to accomplish! What if next time, their assault is led by a clever, charismatic politician?

A few days ago I re-read the Declaration of Independence and I felt the same anger the authors felt when they penned these words... "... that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness..."

I called Reid's office about 15 minutes ago and asked which version of the FISA bill Sen. Reid was going to bring forward. She said she didn't know. Then I asked specifically about the Senate Intelligence Committee's version and Se. Dodd's hold she said very emphatically that Sen. Reid ALWAYS honors holds. I asked, "Even if he doesn't agree with the hold?" and she said he ALWAYS honors holds. So I asked about the rumor that Sen. Reid was going to bring the Senate Intelligence committee's version forward even though there is a hold on it. She replied "Then you will know there was no hold on it!"

So I called Sen. Dodd's office and asked about the hold and I was told flat out that there is a hold on any version with amnesty and that Sen. Leahy's version is the version that Sen. Reid will bring forward.

Again, FWIW.

I wrote an earlier comment about my experience with call to Sen. Reid and Sen. Dodd's offices this morning. In a nut shell, Sen. Reid's staffer didn't know which version of the FISA bill Sen. Reid was moving forward with but that he ALWAYS honors holds. Sen. Dodd's office staffer said emphatically that there was a hold on any version that provides amnesty for the telecoms.

I had to go out for a luncheon, etc., and when I came back there was an email from the Dodd For President campaign that read, in part, "In a few hours, Majority Leader Harry Reid will ask for something called a "motion to proceed" on FISA, effectively disregarding Chris Dodd's "hold" on the bill."

I immediately called Sen. Dodd's office to see if I read this right. "Did Senator Reid ignore Senator Dodd's hold" I asked. The staffer said "Yes, he did." I said "I'm writing this for my blog, can I say that Senator Reid IGNORED Senator Dodd's hold?" She said, let me double check.

she came back and said, "Unfortunately, yes. Senator Reid ignored Senator Dodd's hold."

I've been trying to confirm this with Sen. Reid's office but the line has been busy for over an hour.

I don't know what's going on here (actually I think I do, but I'm trying to be responsible).

[OK, I just got hold of Sen. Reid's office and the staffer said Reid is going to bring both versions of the FISA bill to the floor and let the Senate decide. She also said Reid just announced a few minutes ago that he doesn't support amnesty for telecoms.]

By using the SIC version as the base, Reid in effect ignored Dodd's hold, right? If Harry Reid - the Senate Majority Leader - the most powerful man in the Senate, truly opposes amnesty, why wouldn't he choose the SJC version without amnesty as the base?

That's what Mitch McConnell would do...