This was just posted on the blog on Dodd's website:

Since Senator Dodd announced that he would be placing a hold on FISA legislation that includes retroactive immunity for telecom companies that enabled the President's assault on the Constitution by providing personal information on their customers without judicial authorization, we have been overwhelmed with praise for Dodd's leadership. Over 10,000 people have signed on to stand with Senator Dodd.

Today has been truly exhilarating as we have watched a concept become concrete through a unique combination of concern, insight, discussion, collaboration and then persuasion turn into action. That over 10,000 people can sign onto a cause in a single day, I think, signals both the dire threats our country has been facing and the desire on the part of true patriots to do something about it. Today has been a cathartic outpouring of emotion on an issue many have anguished over for a very long time.

As many have already pointed out, we cannot simply rest on this highly encouraging development. Now we must push, and push hard. If you signed up for the campaign, start now. Contact as many people as you can and urge them to join in. Get uncomfortable.

I hope that the Dodd campaign announces how much they have raised today based on this heroic action. I suspect that today may well set a record for fundraising for a day not previously planned for concerted fundraising.

In bewilderment, I go to sleep, and seeking rest, how can one shut-up care and love for our fellow humanity?

The "news" keeps striking me as something, Hideously Bad. I need to walk outside. See the moon, and watch awhile, and take a breath of clean air.

If people tangle together, it is not easy to untangle that. I am never one to crank saucily, pouting, piqued, but in my innocent anger; I can confide? I'll say: O, take me from all this goofy-strife, and let me go again, go to leave- what ugly things within a neocon, I see, which "terrifies" me. I shun it.

Who said to me? Life is brief? O, no useless quarrels, yea, and then our written letters [?] do not, and will not, impart bitterness? Okay. I know that and believe it. In waiting, or in longing- never let us separate? That's not meant to be a personal-letter, and the utter strangers, amidst, will think like that, wherever they may be...[?]...it is fall season to get winter ready, I agree.

O, who said, 'Let us walk side by side' huh. I'd say. O, who was the 'goof' who said, 'yea, for a thousand years or more...[~/~ .?.] ?. gads do that.

I feel like a old butterfly.

O, Pedinska, I tease, you a old butterfly too. 'No post a letter about this article' okay. I am just a goofing a so very innocently. Serious.

We need peace and quiet.

I emailed my friends earlier today and I just sent your excellent post to them. Thanks. Your comments are always valuable.

From U.P.I.: U.S. voters oppose Bush and support due process.

http://upi.com/International_Security/Emerging_Threats/Briefing/2007/10/16/poll_us_voters_oppose_bush_wiretap_law/6209

Poll: U.S. voters oppose Bush wiretap law

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- [...] Sixty-one percent of voters favor requiring the government to get a warrant from a court before wiretapping the conversations U.S. citizens have with people in other countries, with an outright majority of voters, 51 percent, “strongly” supporting the requirement, the poll of 1,000 likely 2008 general-election voters found.

[...] “Strikingly,” says The Mellman Group’s analysis, “majorities across partisan and ideological lines oppose blanket warrants.” Seventy-two percent of Democrats, 59 percent of independents and 52 percent of Republicans opposed them; as did 71 percent of liberals, 57 percent of moderates and 58 percent of conservatives.

Fifty-nine percent of voters also reject amnesty for phone companies that may have violated the law by selling customers’ private information to the government, preferring to let aggrieved citizens go to the courts and let judges decide.

- - U.P.I., October 16, 2007

Has also come out against this.

See his statement at

http://feingold.senate.gov

He is also on the Intelligence and Judiciary committees and is well placed to prevent a bill containing immunity from hitting the floor.

I note sadly that the only MSM venues I can find that have items on Dodd's move are Fox News and CNN Money.

Weird huh? NY Times, CNN, WaPo, nada on it.

for the first time this campaign season. I also let the Dodd campaign know the reason for my contribution. He has my vote in the primary too.

There's more to the story of Reid putting the bill up for a vote in November -- from FDL:

http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/10/18/reid-tries-to-shut-down-dodds-hold/

Which may explain why Reid's phone grunt was not overly friendly when I called them today about the FISA bill. I knew Reid could be a weak reed, but I didn't know we'd have to be FIGHTING him. Dang.

rather apropos for the blogosphere:

"now is the time for all good men [and women] to come to the aid of their country."

(http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_295a.html)

if you have been reluctant to reach out to friends and family, now is the time. the msm, your representatives, the world will pay attention if dodd's hold becomes the people's stance.

I do really wonder what the MSM blackout is all about. Before they took the main spying article off of the front web page of the Washington Post, there was a related article, dot.comments, talking about the record number of comment they were receiving about warrantless wiretapping - almost all of them disapproving of the Senate "deal". But all of this was yanked, and hidden. There's something extremely fishy going on here.

What's Reid's number?

Maybe he needs 10,000 calls.

Thanks to you, Glenn, and Jane for keeping this issue in front of us.

Dodd's courage is indeed inspiring and hopeful. Made my first contribution to the Presidential campaign today. Very large for me, very small for Verizon. Now we hear that Reid is going to sandbag a respected senior member of his own party. Et tu, Brute?

Reid's duplicity is confounding and yet, somehow by now, unsurprising.

My guess on the reason there's no mainstream coverage: Tomorrow the news will focus on Reid's action and gloss over Dodd's hold as an "attempt" to thwart a bipartisan compromise bill. Dodd's hold will be yesterday's news, even though they didn't bother to report it yesterday. The discussion will focus on the "centrist, moderate, bipartisan, reasonable, and non-DFH very serious people" who are showing real leadership.

But don't flush that cc of the Constitution yet, Chris. We're not done.