This calculation would have been the same months ago, when the Democrats did repel this. What changed? Without that this explanation is incomplete.

-- macgupta

Friday, June 20, 2008 09:09 AM

Very good point, and I wondered myself why the courage in February and the capitulation now.

I think the Strange Bedfellows campaign holds a clue. For Hoyer and most (though not all) of the rest of these assholes, their primaries are over, and there's no hope of getting an anti-amnesty candidate in to challenge them.

I think the real reason behind the dems approving immunity and wiretapping is that they have known for more than a year now that their own crimes are on tape somewhere safe, and will be revealed if they don't obey Smirky/Darth.

The resistance in February was a head-fake to civil libertarians and potential primary opponents, Hoyer and the rest planning all along to do Smirky/Darth's bidding just as soon as most of them were safely past their primaries.

I'd say Obama made a cold, calculating and politically brilliant decision to buy the support of congressional dems with his silence on this.

It's selling out his most loyal liberal supporters, civil liberties and the Constitution, but it probably guarantees his election.

I deplore it, and will never forgive him, but it's a good sign of what we're going to be getting: a Machiavelli who knows what he's doing.

Which is why I will still vote for him in November.

Heck, makes sense to me. Republicans keep saying the Constitution establishes a Christian nation based on "Christian principles."

Bond is just expressing the Abraham view of authority. Sure, it might sound wrong to slash your sons throat, but you recognize that when God tells you to do something you do it.

I don't have a transcript, but I did listen to the segment from Morning Edition:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91724115

Kit Bond's sick statement is at the end.

I also heard, as I have heard over and over, "gives the intellegence community the tools they need to keep the country safe..."

They also characterized Pelosi's statement as "less than enthusiastic" instead of the more accurate "As Pelosi made her statement, urine was noticeably running down her leg...."

That is what is so maddening. Every time ole 25 percenter Bush threatens the democrats, their leadership starts pissing all over themselves. Either they are total cowards or they need this bill for their own protection, or they are getting lots of money from ATT et al.

I was never more proud to be a democrat after Hillary's very good concession speech. Now I have never been so ashamed.

Unless Obama acts forcefully, we need to consider strategies that prevent a McCain presidency but still punish Obama.

Click on my name for an alternative...

Why is ActBlue supporting Mary Landrieu? She has consistantly voted against progressive policies and in support of Bush' policies, including giving the telcos immunity - the last time this issue came to a vote in the Senate.

We have nothing to do with ActBlue. ActBlue is just the clearinghouse for raising the money -- the mechanism - they collect it for us and then give it to us. Any PAC can use them, and apparently, some PACs are supporting Landrieu, but none of the money being raised by us will get anywhere near Mary Landrieu -- unless it's to run ads against her for supporting warrantless eavesdropping and amnesty.

"I wonder what kind of collar and leash Steny wears when they go out for their walks in the evening."

His collar is black patent leather with chromed spikes. The leash is unnecessary since he always does what his GOP owners want.

Most dogs, however, are smarter than Steny Hoyer. They, for example, know it feels good to lick their own balls. Steny would rather lick his owner's.

I'll have to call you this eve?

Absolutely!

You will be looking at a Buddha Foot flower in DC's aborretum? I am late too... out/over.

I will. Tomorrow.

I think both the Republicans and the Democrats hold their respective blogger communities with contempt. The parties demonstrate that contempt differently, and the bloggers and their communities respond to that contempt differently. What we are witnessing here, is an enlightened/thinking community's response.

I'd compare today's thread to a death watch. Part of me wants to cling to a glimmer of hope. That there are representatives who are willing and able to use the Senate or the House's procedures to corral this travesty of law. And, part of me just wants to get it over with. Slow motion train wrecks just aren't my forté.

Since I am by nature a hopeful individual, and that hope has to have *somewhere* to go, I've tossed it in the direction of Glenn's coalition. It's become clear this is going to be a very long pull. And, I am happy to throw in with honest conservatives, libertarians, and progressives to try and move the Overton Window somewhere near center. We may fight like cats over any number of issues, but at least we can agree that the Bill of Rights and the Constitution ought to be resurrected, if not preserved.

in a Ron Paul congress!

What timing! What a coincidence.

NPR follwed their mushy FISA story this morning with one celebrating the strong and inspiring state of Law and Order in our country, with yesterdays public frog-marching of a couple Bear Stearns hedge fund managers, followed by Mueller's announcement that we're jus gettin' stahted in cracking down on corporate crime.

I think we can all rest assured that, no matter who is involved, lawbreaking in this country will not go unpunished. That is for certain.

This is posted on Emmanuel's web site today.

“The FISA legislation we will consider gives our intelligence community the tools it needs and the public the civil liberty protections it deserves. In addition, it rejects calls for automatic immunity for private sector companies. While this bill isn’t perfect, the perfect should never be the enemy of the good. I applaud the Democrats and Republicans who reached this compromise and produced legislation that deserves support from both sides of the aisle.”

In reading this statement, I am dumbfounded. It is time to stop working for the Democrats and get rid of all of them.

As the Declaration of Independence states: ...that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government..."

Let us never forget.