And by God, Congressional reports aren't facts, they're opinions!

Heaven forfend we should learn from the past....

Just as I thought, niether Baldie or Kitt can provide any proof whatsoever.

-- bucks4mccain

If you "thought" at all you would have done your homework. Professing stupidity, and laziness, in the same thread is kind of like lying down and dying an ugly death only because you were too lazy and stupid to pluck a tick out of your dick. There seems to be no level of embarrassment too much to bear for trolls such as you.

Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Going onward to the next step - although I have heard of the government rendering lawsuits moot before, typically I have heard it done in relationship to some other alternative resolution so provided.

Is there any chance that this would qualify as violating the 'redress of grievances' clause in the first amendment? Surely stating the government can disarm a lawsuit with a piece of paper is insufficient to address this?

Not that I entirely trust the supreme court at this point anyway - given four members that claim to be originalists, yet eagerly argue to toss out habeas corpus that was only supposed to be suspendable in cases of invasion or rebellion, I think we have the worst court since Taney was a justice.

But given the Democratic Party's willingness to keep fighting this damn thing out till they lose, it's the only thing I see left to hold them accountable.

Jonnan

It's so great to see such fortitude in the face of adversity from the activists on whose efforts our liberty and well-being depend. -- Amity

lol. Activists?? In the words of Inigo Montoya...

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Yeah it is a positively revolutionary act to continue to bang one's head against the wall by voting and hoping for more and better democrats. It is the most rational thing one can do... hold on...oh crap -- Einstein disagrees):

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein

Ah WTF does he know anyway? More and better Democrats!!!11!1

OK--last comment on this, I vow.

"I think we do a grave disservice if we try to convince people that Obama is really going to work to get amnesty out of the bill.

Couldn't disagree more. You do people--voters--a service. And, I'd add that you're not trying to convince anyone of anything. You are simply taking the man at his word, on a very critical issue. The poor voters have been deluged with lapel pins and crazy pastors for months now. This, by contrast, is a real issue. Couldn't be more real. Test him, and let the voters see it.

By building up what Obama has just said publicly anyway, you are making the cost of Kabuki much higher for him, and increasing the pressure he might actually do something.

The comments section could use a more militant style of moderation to counter the discourse poisoning from the McCain trolls. It's absurd to "debate" them - they aren't thinking men and women who build a belief system from the bricks and mortar of logic and truth. Instead, they are indoctrinated into a belief system and they hammer and twist and deform logic and the truth to accomodate their belief system. These aren't the "moderate" McCain supporters who just aren't aware yet - they're bigmouths and dullards for whom war is a sport, the US is "their" team and they won't see their team "lose". They would rather American boys have their arms and legs blown off than have them "lose" their glorious game.

The blood of American soldiers is on their hands more than it is on the hands of those who lay the bombs and pull the triggers.

I respect you enormously and seek out your comments here in Salon's backroom. But I mightily disagree with you that we have to choose the lesser of two evils. Seems to me, that's how we arrived at this debacle today, which is turning out to be a watershed of sorts.

After thinking about this seriously and reading what others have said, especially Senor Greenwald, it really is time to stop fooling ourselves about Democrats and the two-party system.

It's broken. It produced today's abomination and the many more to follow.

It's time to go in a different direction. One step in that direction is to signal clearly to Obama and the rest that we will no longer follow them or support them.

We are declaring our independence today.

My letter to Obama:

====

Senator Obama or whoever is reading this:

Sadly, I must withdraw my support of your candidacy. Your position on the latest FISA bill is an unacceptable capitulation. My family's civil liberties are at stake. You talked a good game, sir, but when push came to shove and the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution was in play, you made a decision calculated to improve your political fortunes, not the freedoms of Americans.

I can't tell you how disappointed I am. I have given $100s to you and canvassed in my hometown to register new voters. I will now put my efforts into helping others to understand that our two-party system is broken and even Barack Obama values Beltway power more than our Constitution.

Please take me off your list and please do not contact me again.

Respectfully,

That's it. I'm done.

Obama, the 'agent of change' dumps on the biggest threat to the safety of EVERY AMERICAN under the Bush OR McCain administrations.

I'm done.

I will not work to get him elected.

I regret giving him money. For christ sakes, with all that is wrong with this country from runaway religious fanatics in the military the judicial and executive branches (and so many many many other things), Mr 'I'm for change' pulls his head father into his ass!

Bush was half right: If you don't stand for anything, you fall for nothing. I'm disgusted. I'm humiliated. I'm dumbstruck. That jerk could have just sat on his hands for a few weeks rather than roll fucking over like a worthless coward... This will bite his ass in November.

Are the hundreds of thousands of people that are (were?) behind him really that worthless? Or, is he that inept and brain dead that he's walking around thinking this is 'good for America' with a silly Dukakis grin on his face?

Who are the handlers that got him to believe that this was a 'good idea' and the 'change' that we all wanted? Are they the same bunch of idiots that cost Dukakis and Kerry their presidencies? I remember an article in Mother Jones about the 'brain trust' that all the democratic candidates run to when they want 'to win' and they always end up flaming out...

I'm abjectly destroyed...

With so much time left on Bush's 'presidency' (I can't say the 'l' word because the only way he's lead is down the shitter) this is a disastrous vote... DISASTROUS VOTE!!!

Please someone: Please tell me there's a ray of sunshine in all this... I NEED IT SO BADLY RIGHT NOW...