OK, so now I'm listening to my representative, Nancy Pelosi, defend this shitpile of a Bill. In watching the debate I'm struck at how pretty much every Republican loves the Bill. Way to go Democratic leadership. You're doin' a heck of a job Pelosi! She just said that this bill requires that the telecom companies to not spy on us. But, didn't we already have a law that supposedly prevented them from doing that in the first place, which this bill gives them a get of jail free card for violating?!?!?!? Oh, and she just thanked everyone involved with this bill for all of their hard work in getting it passed. FUCK!!!

I may likely vote for a Republican for the first time in my life come November. And if Obama doesn't do a lot to redeem himself after being silent on this topic I may vote against him as well (though not for McCain, by the way).

Excuse my foul language but all I can say is FUCK!!!

Pete Hoekstra that is on CSpan this morning too.

Disgusting doesn't come close...

This will probably be the first election since I could vote that I won't be voting. I know that sounds childish and petulent but if the choices are such as they are (and Obama is STILL SILENT) then not voting is just a realization that we really have lost all control of our governmetn and to vote with hope in your heart for change is just flogging your heart on the granite that is the heart and mind of both political parties in America...

I might change my mind but golly gee, Batman, it's looking like the Joker wins again.

For me, this FISA capitulation is the final straw, and I see that I'm not alone. I am an American first and a liberal. I'm a registered Democrat ONLY because I have been assuming it was the party that embraced many of my liberal ideals.

In a way they still are, but over the past year I've noticed a strong resentment among Democratic politicians directed at us, and I think that has hardened into a near hatred of our bloggers. While the Republicans embrace their bloggers and hand feed them, Democrats seem much less inclined to work with us. The Democratic leaders especially. In fact the secrecy surrounding Steny Hoyer's compromise negotiations was designed to keep us from finding out and mobilizing...and it seems to have worked. Lesson learned.

The irony here is that the Democratic party despises it's base. Since 2004 we, the angry, energized progressives, have helped repair and re-energize the party from it's truly dismal 2002 version into a party that now controls both houses of Congress. We've donated tons of money, we've knocked on doors, we've encouraged qualified candidates to run, and enthusiastically supported them on our blogs. Where do you think the Democratic party would be today without us?

And this is our payback! A huge kick in the nuts (that's how it feels to me). Now that Obama has an army of young, enthusiastic (and naive?) supporters, they don't need us. To them we are the people who embarrass them by criticizing their MSM friends, we embarrass them when they cave, we call and argue with their staff. All they want is to be left alone to enjoy their prestige, their new power, and the flow of money from their new corporate friends.

It's time to cut our ties with the Democrats and concentrate on issues, and on defeating the bad politicians and supporting the good ones, independent of party (we desperately need new parties). I no longer want anything to do with the Reids and Hoyers and Rockefellers.

One more thing (long rant, I know), I found the following two posts immensely helpful in calming me down last night and I recommend them to all who, like me, need an alternative to our negativity.

Digby - Talk to the Hand

http://tinyurl.com/4r3p98

Hilzoy - FISA: Why it Matters

http://tinyurl.com/3ovxnr

Until the last Dem coward has caved and the dirty little FISA deal is signed, sealed and delivered I'm limiting most of my blog time to Glenn's posts and the letters on this site. Unfortunately, I don't know what else to say at this point. Sure I'm here to keep apprised, but mainly to read the other comments and feel some semblance of solidarity. No adequate words for the disgust I'm feeling right now...and that's saying something after four decades of active political involvement.

Hume's Ghost

Didn't Clinton committ purgery?? Yea, he did actually and that was what he was impeached over. Not the fact he was getting oral sex in the Oval Office.

Please provide the list of names of these historians you mentioned. I would love to see their political affiliations.

Democratic legislative capitulations for years now. What disturbs me is that the frame--that Democrats are, in fact, an opposition party still pervades your writing. Its seeming more likely that, as a party, they have never been in opposition of FISA or the Iraq war, not even slightly. I find it unlikely that, with the advantages of both popular opinion and majority, they would be able to wrangle at least something that actually does seem like a compromise at the least. The fact that they couldn't even pull that off, and indeed, gave the Republicans more than they wanted, means that this was a rigged game from the beginning.

Not to sound to conspiratorial, but could this be an official hand-off of power--an "uncle" for the corporate powers to show that Democrats are worthy of caring for corporate welfare as efficiently and enthusiastically as Republicans.

it will be time to look back and say, "Today's the day that fascist America truly started." It's our Reichstag fire.

I just finished reading a fascinating article on J Edgar Hoover. Part of my reading agenda will certainly be to read more because the parallels to today are so eerie. The article, by Ed Raymond, can be read at the following link:

http://hpr1.com/opinion/article/hoover_bush_cheney_three_partners_in_constitutional_crime/

I found this link by doing a Google search on “Hoover ‘secret files’ Cheney”. I love Google!

Here is one of the more relevant passages from the article:

*******

Here’s a short list of illegal acts against Americans committed by the FBI under Hoover’s dictatorship:(1) Developed 500,000 domestic intelligence files on citizens, (2) Assisted CIA in opening and photographing at least 250,000 first class letters and producing a computerized index of nearly 1.5 million names, (3) Opened and photographed 130,000 first-class letters in eight cities, (4) Assisted National Security Agency in obtaining millions of private telegrams under a secret arrangement with three telegraph companies, (5) Forced Internal Revenue Service to develop 11,000 files on “political enemies”, (6) Prepared a list of 26,000 people to be rounded up in case of a “national emergency”, (7) Assisted Army in preparing intelligence files on an estimated 100,000 Americans......and the list goes on.

*******

Sound familiar? When we witness how congress bows down to a President of almost unprecedented unpopularity you have to wonder how much fear of the Bush warantless spying program figures in. Hoover cemented his position in the FBI for almost 50 years through fear. Nobody knew for sure what Hoover had in his files but if you had a skeleton in your closet you worried that Hoover knew about it. It made him, well, untouchable.

Just the knowledge of a warantless spying program has struck fear throughout our country today. Nobody knows who Bush was listening in on these past years but it might have been you and if it was, do you want your darkest secrets made public? It worked 50 years ago and its working today.