I referenced the Huffpo's claim of filibuster but the aides would not use the word and when pressed, would not confirm it.

I didn't think "filibuster" was a four-letter word. I learn something new every day.

Arlen Specter today:

[...] It is a difficult decision to vote for retroactive immunity if my amendment fails, but I will do so [...]

I do so with great reluctance because it sets a terrible precedent for the executive to violate the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the National Security Act of 1947, and the presentment clause of the constitution and then receive a Congressional pardon.

[...] I know that this nuanced position of fighting retroactive immunity and then voting for the bill will be misunderstood because of the complexity of the issues and the subtleties of my rationale.

I have been similarly misunderstood in my castigation of the provisions eliminating statutory habeas corpus and court-stripping in the Military Commissions Act and then voting for the bill. I did so, and gave my contemporaneous reasons, because the Act contained many important provisions [...]

- - Arlen Specter

* * *

Let the hot cosmic bullet that's swirling around and 'round, set in motion before we 'gizzard-tough-buzzards were ever born, swerve. Let it swerve around and around, and curl 'round our death # cranial skull. Hay lead Swerve!

The noggin is empty. O` immortality!

Today. Down in the valley. wow. Plan!

I've been talking about the communal.

The Mennonites are full of hospitality.

William T.~ gracious. Ya's a opera voice.

You ain't perfect as a woods bambi deer.

You are a elder. O`You do say wisdoms,

and more than you realize, to me, for one.

I'd chide ya's for eating too much blue-pie.

~

Ya's take your delight in the momentariness,

Walk between dark and dark, a shining space

With the graves's narrowness, though not its peace.

O`Robert Graves. I hoped to not comment this eve.

I remember a conversation with a facially, not-so-attractive, elder. It was many years ago. Socrates was not a handsome knockout either I've read, but the face was said to glisten and radiate a bright countenance...

The old man said: `You want some wisdom? ` Prepare to suffer and go through some excruciating soul's anguish. `O, and wow-suffer! He had a beautiful inner Spirit.

Many people @ UT are suffering. I've not read the comments, and want to 'hit the hay.

http://cboldt.blogspot.com

20:13: Senator Dodd shutting down the Senate, passes a mess of bills; a S.Res.599 expressing condolances to the families of Boy Scout victims of the Iowa tornadoes; another resolution honoring victims of the Khobar Towers bombing. After morning busines, resumes consideration of the Housing Bailout.

Obviously reading without thinking, he asks to re-enter a period of morning business, then to strike that, then to the script that describes the presence (and effect) of objection to details in the Housing Bailout - "this shows how the will of one Senator can disrupt Senate progress."

He segues into the FISA subject, and his objection to retroactive immunity, and PURE SPECULATION of massive invasion of privacy, couched as an assumption a massive invasion occurred, and a demand to find out who was responsible.

He claims he is limited in the amount of time he can talk, being in post-cloture time. True that, But there is a MASSIVE disconnect, because he is occupying Housing Bill post-cloture time to debate FISA. There will be ANOTHER post-cloture time, after the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to FISA has been passed - tomorrow or the next day (Senator Dodd says, "sometime in the next 24 to 48 hours," a reflection of the expected time to complete Housing Bialout). There can be still another post-cloture period, if cloture is forced and obtained on final passage of FISA.

What's funny, is that some people will take Dodd's speech tonight as "FISA filibuster," when in fact, he's just burning time charged to the Housing Bill. What he's doing now has ZERO impact on the parliamentary status or process on the FISA bill.

- - cboldt

The estimated 2007 population of San Francisco was approximately 765,000 with nearly 16,000 people per square mile making it the second-most densely populated major American city. You can estimate the number of registered voters has increased some over the almost 500,000 in 2004. It might be close to 600,000 now. June 3rd primary results show an embarassingly low number of people even bothered to vote in the congressional race, unless voting for Pelosi.

Democratic

County Returns

Districtwide Results

Candidate Votes Percent

Shirley Golub 10,107 10.7 %

Nancy Pelosi 83,517 89.3 %

Republican

County Returns

Districtwide Results

Candidate Votes Percent

Dana Walsh 7,903 100.0 %

Libertarian

County Returns

Districtwide Results

Candidate Votes Percent

Philip Z. Berg 276 100.0 %

Mona,

Chris cannot seem to refrain from snarky "defenses" of Libertariansim, and today raises his hackles before the bait is even set out. However, LWM and some others are not innocent in this, either.

Usually you are smarter than this. You have it backwards. Not the first time. Sinnard set the bait out. It raised William's hackles. He's entitled. I could say more but what's the point? Just read the numbers above and weep. As to the comments section here, it isn't much different than the old UT, just open to a broader audience and naturally it appears the "quality" has suffered. It went up at Balkanization when Bart first moved over there? And since when did you have a problem with the first amendment? Those that can't hang in there are just our version of the cocktail weenie set. Screw 'em and good riddance

Got to admit I liked the notion of Dodd reading the Denver Post editorial opposing telecom immunity to Ken Salazar who was acting as president/chair. I'll even forgive Dodd that quirky little grin he gave Salazar when he mentioned Salazar might already have seen it.

Correction: In a previous thread I claimed that Udall was opposing Beauprez for Allard's Colorado Senate seat. I spoke in error. Udall is opposing Bob Schaffer for Allard's seat. That error doesn't change the thrust of my argument that telecom immunity and warrantless wiretapping (shrouded by the fig leaf to be voted on tomorrow) will remain supported by Colorado's Senate representatives well into the next election.