The expectation was that this would happen.

It is amazing how many people forget this simple premise. Our Contitutional protections were put in place PRECISELY because they go against the grain of human nature. If there weren't a constant temptation to curtail freedom and oppress outlying opinions in the name of security, then there would have been no need to write and ratify the Bill Of rights in the first place.

who wakes up every morning and logs in hoping that Obama, or some other senator wakes up and opposes FISA?

This is all so utterly demoralizing.

You know America is a strange place. Everyone prides themselves on our freedom, but our public discourse only allows certain viewpoints to be voiced, anyone who strays too far afield is demonized. Whats up with that? Its not just politics either.

Great ads BTW. I got to make it a point to contribute today.

I wish I could lay this at the feet of Stephen Glass. By rights, TNR should have closed up shop after that young fabulist had his way with them. But it didn't, and it only got worse from there.

It doesn't really matter at this point when the magazine went off the metaphorical rails or when its pathology sunk into the Democratic caucus.

Its happened. And it will take years of work and a lot of election cycles to undo it, provided such a thing is possible.

exactly the sorts of fanatics who tore the party apart in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Oh Lordy- sounds just like Mao disavowing the Red Guards!

The Republicans HANDED the Democrats a winning issue, and the Democratic leadership treats it like a hot potato.

It is not hard to explain what is wretchedly wrong with this bill in ways that the average American can understand. (You won't persuade the average administration supporter perhaps, but a majority of people really *can* get it.) This is one issue where giving up the store is not only wrong, but counter productive politically.

Seriously.

Cindy for Congress.

http://www.cindyforcongress.org/img/original/TMShow.jpg

Maybe a little sump'n about breaking an oath to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. Everyone who votes for this bill is breaking this oath of office. That they don't see it is testimony to the corruption of Congress.

Keep up the good work, Glenn.

Glenn, thanks for your consistently excellent work and advocacy on this issue.

i would like to direct you to the Philadelphia Chapter of Drinking Liberally. We're not big or important, but we do boast a membership of around 800-1000 Philadelphia Democrats and progressives, many of who are members of MoveOn, Democracy for America, and other progressive groups. Quite a few of us have run for office, some successfully.

With that in mind, I made a point of punishing our Congressmen who voted for the FISA atrocity: Pat Murphy and Joe Sestak. The DL blog archives my weekly bulletins, and Pennsylvanians certainly learned a lot about Pat and Joe this morning. I have contacted Mr. Burton with the same information.

"However, Patrick Murphy (a regular DL visitor who promised to champion progressive values) and Joe Sestak both voted to allow the US government to tap your phones, open your mail, and read your email without any cause and without a warrant, while giving a "get out of jail free" card to Verizon and AT&T: do you think they'd do the same for YOU if you broke the law?

If you wish, you can reach Patrick at (202) 225-4276 and Joe at (202) 225-2011. I'm sure they'd love to explain why AT&T gets protections you don't get.

Even worse, Barack Obama says he will support this deal in the Senate: that's right: Obama wants to tap your phones too, while giving a free pass to corporate lawbreakers. That's sure "change we can believe in", isn't it?

If you REALLY want to do something, Visit Actblue's FISA page or Strange Bedfellows: we've raised $300,000 (and growing dramatically) to run ads against the politicians who sold out our rights. We're already nailing Chris Carney in Northeast PA, and we're going after Hoyer as well. Many, many more are in development."

I believe in hitting back, and will continue to hit back every time.

Precisely what we've got. The Left-Right of an issue doesn't seem to be nearly as predictive as the money interests involved.

So I suspect it shouldn't be surprising that money (and I would imagine the threat of jail time) are the only things that allow us to influence the Barrows, Carneys and Hoyers. Wish it weren't so, but if that's the game, then best we learn how to play it.

I read that TNR piece this morning, and what was most interesting about it was it's lack of argument in support of the new bill. The best they could come up with was "hey, you don't really believe Democrats want to eviscerate the Constitution, do you?" That's what passes for "serious" political points these days?

Oops, I forgot that Salon doesn't embed: here's our link: http://livingliberally.org/drinking/chapters/PA/philadelphia

We have to destroy the Constitution in order to save it.

The Democrats are now the majority in both Houses of Congress, slim though that majority may be. That means that we should call the shots and have the power to hold up legislation that smells like last week's fish.

Renewal of FISA is nowhere near as important as, for instance, poverty, Global Warming, an Energy Policy, education for our children. giving our President syntax lessons, ...

If we could just get a little caffeine down and wake up to the fact that we are still just about the most powerful nation on earth and do not need to hide under our beds because a bunch of people in the Middle East don't like us.

We took French Fries off the menu - why can't we deal with terrorists using that same self-righteous method? Wait, no, that was just showboating and Hate-mongering.

How about a Big Boy and Girl discussion of just what it is we are trying to accomplish in the Middle East: Come up with a list of Action Items and get on with it.