Every flight is now ordered to provide a passenger manifest with personal details, passport information, etc. 72 hours before leaving for a US airport. There, the passengers will inevitably be scrutinised by Homeland Security personnel, whoever they might be. The need to obviate another terrorist attack is accepted but the price may be rampant paranoia. I'm a little amused at some of the writers' attempts to justify Barack Obama's "compromise" and reneging on a previously-held article of faith. "She will do anything, say anything to get elected" is a refrain repeated monotonously about Hillary Clinton before the apparent triumph of Barack Obama. Yes, it was repeated endlessly while Barack was presented as "the sea-green incorruptible" just as Robespierre was once depicted to the French populace.

When people forfeit their hard-won rights without a murmur, it can take a whole generation to regain them - if they're lucky. President George W. Bush once spoke, quite contemptuously, of "old Europe" but it's "old Europe" that knows better than any other place in the world about the dangers of blind trust in ANY politician or demogogue. I've watched this campaign more sharply than I've ever done in any previous American election and I've been amazed at the idolatry of a neophyte Senator whose claim to fame is that he delivered an anti-war speech in Chicago in October 2002. At that time, he made a claim about his American grandfather and American troops liberating the Auschwitz death-camp. I think it was last February that I read about that. I have a reasonably good grasp of history and, in February, I pointed out that this could not be right as it was the Russians who first came on that hideous crime against humanity that Auschwitz represented. Regardless of the fact that I was telling the historical truth, I was turned upon by several Obama supporters. Ah, yes, "The truth will set you free" but Barack is the typical charlatan who will say anything, do anything to get elected. There's an awful lot of money riding on his victory. George Soros, "the man who broke the Bank of England" is no dummy.

I don't "disdain" principle. I just get tired of righteous liberals using the idea like a bat to strike down anything that smacks of pragmatism. As Michael Moore said when he decided not to support Ralph Nader in 2004, "It feels so good to be 'right', but there is too much at stake this time." There is even more at stake now. The idealogical purists in these campaigns never stand a chance in this country, as we know. So what do we do, demand adherence to principle in every battle, or cut the good guys some slack? As for not "knowing" what Obama's intentions are, I don't. However, I'm afraid I have fallen prey to the quaint refrain of "hope" and am willing to put some faith in Barack Obama, based on my knowledge of him and his history.

Only time will tell if you are right.

LiberalArt wrote the following:

"I realize Obama is not the master of his own fate here - he didn't play a part in drafting this bill, he didn’t choose its timing, and he isn’t the prime force moving it along without sufficient discussion and debate to acquaint voters with what this bill truly entails. You could argue that it’s not Obama’s job to explain why it is so critical to waive traditional safeguards in the interest of national security in this particular case. He is certainly not in any kind of position to dictate strategy and tactics to a self-interested Congressional leadership or to alienate "Blue Dog" Democrats if he hopes to be elected.

"I understand that, and so I'm giving Obama a pass. He still gets the benefit of a doubt from me on his "good faith" opposition to unnecessary 4th Amendment erosions and his commitment to a realistic, effective approach to national security.

"For now.

[...]

"I look forward to his illuminating words dispelling my doubtful shadows."

Sorry, LiberalArt, but Obama does NOT deserve "a pass." He deserves thousands and thousands and thousands of phone calls from people demanding that he live up to his previous commitments to fillibuster and vote against ANY FISA bill that contains provisions for telecom amnesty. NO politician deserves "a pass" for colluding with the evisceration of the Constitution, not even Saint Obama, if for no other reason that Obama took this OATH when he became Senator:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

Yet he might as well have taken THIS oath:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will be willing to collude in the destruction the Constitution of the United States if doing so will get me elected President; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to my effort to get elected President; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, but only if they get me elected President. So help me God,"

Obama's newly found support for the FISA bill is a cravan political act lacking any dignity, integrity or courage, nothing more and nothing less. He needs to be held to his prior commitment to vote against ANY FISA bill that contains provisions for telecom amnesty -- and the final bill WILL contain provisions that will guarantee telecom amnesty.

As for your waiting for "his illuminating words dispelling my doubtful shadows:" you'll never get these "words." GUARANTEED.

I'm sorry to have to say this because I have neve before ANYTHING in a letter on Salon.com that might be even remotely considered an insult. But the intellectual naval-gazing and mind-numbing sophistry in a LOT of the letters for this posting by Glenn is truly astounding -- and deeply disturbing. Why don't you all get off your duffs and DO something. Like calling Obama at both his Campaign and his Senate Offices and telling him, repeatedly over the next several days, that you will not tolerate his "AYE" vote on the FISA bill. It will take a whole lot less effort than that which a lot of you pored into writing up incredibly boring, mind-numbing, often unreadable letters, and it might actually accomplish something.

Here are the telephone numbers (again):

Obama Campaign:

(866) 675-2008

bburton@barackobama.com (Email for Obama's spokesperson, Bill Burton

Washington D.C. Senate Office

(202) 224-2854 phone

(202) 228-4260 fax

(202) 228-1404 TDD

The time for ACTION is now, not when people finally realize that they are living in a Third-World-variety police state. Which is EXACTLY where we're heading -- rapidly so.

And who knows -- you might actually save Obama from himself. Despite all his rhetoric about "change," Obama doesn't seem to understand that people crave courage in their politicians, even if it might costs him (or her) votes. It is highly possible that Obama will pay dearly for an "AYE" vote on the current FISA bill, just as Hillary paid dearly for her pro-war vote: it will be viewed as the "flip-flop" it is, it will be viewed as a "flip-flop" on one of his previous "core issues," it will be viewed as the craven political act it is by anyone who sees through Obama's justification for his vote, and enough people on "the Left" (you know, those left-wingnut hippie crazies" who, back in 2002, were actually RIGHT about the fact that the Iraq War would be an unmitigated catastrophe but were labelled and "crazies" and "traitors" for saying so) might actually be so disgusted by Obama's vote that they will sit out the November election or vote for Bob Barr or Ralph Nader, two people who actually care about the Constitution, as a protest vote. Stranger things have happened: and just remember what Nader did to Gore in 2000 -- just in Florida.

I personally never fell under the thrall of Obama's rhetoric and his now-hallow promise to bring "change" to Washington. Right now I see NO point in voting for Obama except that he is far more likely than McCain to nominate as Supreme Court judges people who will declare this FISA bill as the unconstitutional monstrosity it is.