While we contribute to ActBlue and continue to correctly press Obama to change his mind about this ridiculous bill, perhaps we might also send a note of thanks to Rep. Tim Johnson of Illinois. I don't know enough about him to make a blanket statement, but on this issue he was correct. He voted no ...

And was the ONLY Republican to do so. Hard to believe when a Republican's position makes Nancy Pelosi look like a fascist.

I think Obama could have won this argument had the senior Dem leadership in Congress not caved. If they had stuck with Obama's core framework and shot the bill down by citing all the violations of basic civil liberties it allows then I think he would have happily gone along with that. And I assume he has unhappily gone along with this non-compromise because the Dems cannot afford to be split at this point in time.

Am I angry at Obama for supporting the bill? Yes I am. Does his support make me think the bill is OK? No it doesn't. But do I think that he had another politically feasible option--no. That doesn't make it okay, and politics is not the only thing that matters here. Obama has built his campaign around taking principled stands and this is definitely a time for people with principles to speak up, as Russ Feingold and others have done. But to break with his own party on this, to give McCain that kind of ammunition (he's such a liberal weenie he can't even vote for a bill NANCY PELOSI supported)...

I don't think his choice is perfect. But I think that it's the only logical move he could have made. And I doubt he's happy about it.

and I told him to refund my money so I can give it to Glenn Greenwald's campaign against Democrats who either don't understand or care about the Constitution. The Constitution is infinitely more important than Obama or any president or person in this country, because without it we don't have the country we think we have.

I don't think I'm being petulant, or perfectionist. I can see, as Glenn says, that this is just one of many such actions we'll see from Obama. Well, I don't like being lied to, and from my perspective that's what he's done (if he indeed filibusters the bill, I'll eat my words). "New kind of politics" my ass. I was just beginning to have a little bit of hope for this guy, first time in decades, so it feels much worse to be betrayed so quickly. Again. I don't have anybody to vote for. Again.

The impelling reason for my decision to not vote for Obama, though, is not just idealism; it's practicality coming to the rescue of my principles. I live in California. He doesn't need my vote. Frankly, I don't think he gives a damn one way or another. He knows most people who want to kick the Republicans out of the White House have no choice but to vote for him, and he can do without the rest of us in safe states - and so he can safely vote for such egregiously unconstitutional, corrupting bills like the FISA bill.

Can't blame triangulation on the Clintons alone now. Face it, the GOP won the culture war and now Dems have to respond to the institutionalization of their agenda.

Even if the Democrats win big in November, most of the new Democrats in the House and Senate will come from purple or red districts and they will be centrists or blue dogs. These newly electeds will not support an end to Bush's war, diplomacy over aggression or restoration of our Constitutional rights. Do not expect a Democratic sweep to produce a more liberal Congress. There is much work yet to be done to put our country back together again.

Dear Glenn, this column is exactly why I read you. Thank you for clarifying the issues so well.

FMD:

"If you were a presumtive shoo-in to be the next president, wouldn't you want those powers "just in case"? When Obama says that he will monitor the program very closely, I believe him. I bet he'll monitor Republican operatives very, very closely."

ehmmm... yeah, most presidents, once they get in office, would like unlimited dictatorial powers. But we intentionally designed our system to (try to) prevent them from having their wet dreams come true. That is why we don't want the bill of rights further eroded. Our Constitution and our Bill of Rights are things we always point to when we're bragging about how cool we are. You're with us on that, right?... right?

while they stab us in the back is precisely why they continue to stab us in the back. They know the base won't do anything because the base never does anything effective to hold them accountable. I am reminded of how 90% of convention delegates who were anti-war cheered on the Iraq war voting John Kerry in '04.

Say what you will about the Republican base, but they are not afraid to lose elections if the party is displeasing them, 2006 being a perfect case in point. Ever wonder why the Dems play to THEM and not US? They make their presence FELT, for better or worse, while the left blogosphere writes polite letters and makes polite phone calls.

On every issue I care about, Barack Obama is HUGELY better than McCain. Someone said he is too weak to stand against the Republican party extremists. Maybe, but McCain wouldn't even try to stand against them, as his campaign has proven.

Still, I wrote to Obama's campaign to say that if he doesn't fight against the FISA bill, he's not getting another penny from me. I'll vote for him over McCain, but unless he changes quick, he's lost my interest. Change I can believe in? Nope.

For what it's worth, here's what I emailed to Burton. This issue is worth fighting, even if we think we'll lose next week's Senate vote, because it cuts to the heart of what's wrong with the Bush administration and with our country. Sometimes to change the government we must change the politicians -- at least the votes will tell us who we have to replace.

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"El presidente" can arrest and torture people at will and ignore any law he likes with impunity -- and now he's close to being able to order people to break the law with impunity. He couldn't have done it without a majority of the Democratic party laying down for him on issue after issue.

Barack Obama promised change. He promised to care about civil rights -- surely being free from illegal government-sanctioned spying is a civil right! And you specifically promised that he would "support a filibuster of any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies."

Is he going to keep that promise, or not? If not, get me the HELL off your distribution lists, because I have no use for a politician who betrays his principles and his supporters for political expediency.

Make this campaign about something real. Make it about upholding the Constitution. Make it about defying tyranny at home as well as abroad. Make it about exposing the truth and holding people accountable for breaking the law. Start all of that by doing everything you can to stop the so-called "compromise" on FISA that gives Bush every tyrannical power he asked for and more besides. And stop assuming that the American people are so stupid that we can't see through this "compromise", which lets all of the abuses continue, in complete secrecy.

Obama gave a great speech on race that demanded intelligence from his hearers. Is he sorry about that? It's time to do the same on Constitutional rights. He should start by demanding that his fellow Democratic Senators end their support for this horrible give-away of our basic rights. Make a loud noise! Stand up to the bullies in the Republican party and your own party. I can't call it my party any more -- I've been betrayed by the entire party leadership. Is Barack Obama going to complete that betrayal?