Letters to the Editor
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Such a vitriolic (and premature?) celebration...
What will happen next? I am not sure. These seem like likely scenarios to me:
LEGISLATIVE FRONT - It goes to Conference, right? Where either the House version or the Senate version might prevail. If the House version somehow prevails, it will never be signed by the President. Activity might continue through the end of this Congress. And there may yet be a telecom immunity bill passed this year, as happened in the Senate.
LITIGATION FRONT - Many cases are not yet even filed, and are unlikely to go anywhere until appeals, and possible legislative activity, are all done. It is mostly unthinkable that there would be any significant discovery that would take place before the end of this year. That is, if any cases survive dispositive motions.
As for this somehow putting President Bush in a box, I don't think so. The American public has gotten pretty savvy about the business of litigation. If I were Bush I'd go on national tv and say, "The Democrats are wrecking a good national security program. They have said that we can go ahead and run the program, but that we might get sued for it. The Democrats are effectively defeating the program through the threat of litigation. When they tell you it's not about the money, you know it's all about the money. And when some advocacy groups tell you that it's not about the money and all they want are attorney fees, and maybe some money to their "non-profit", just follow the money. Many of these groups live off their attorney fee awards."