Finally, we see Obama's shameful reversal on the FISA issue among the CNN.com headlines, supplanting the story on Jesse Jackson's highly controversial castration plot. As one might expect, the story is an absurd misrepresentation of the issues and fails to seriously detail critics' grievances beyond the vaguest generalizations.

"The bill does not grant the telecommunication companies direct immunity, but it does contain a provision that allows a federal judge to dismiss the suits if the companies can present a letter from the government stating that the program was legal ... The bill also allows any warrantless wiretapping program to be reviewed by a secret federal intelligence court; requires a spy agency to purge any intelligence involving an American unless it gets a court warrant; and, for the first time, requires intelligence officials to get a court warrant if they wish to target an American living abroad."

Be sure to offer your feedback ("angry," unserious blogger backlash) to CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/11/obama.netroots/index.html

Though I would hesitate to call it dangerous, the arguing bothers me too.

For the lawyers out there - just read the ACLU complaint.

Is a resonsble beleif that plaintiff's will be spied on (prospectively) sufficient to establish standing?

like me, the arguments carrying on well past their usefulness and getting personal instead of providing any useful information. People get emotional, become personally offended, and the remainder of postings serve no group purpose.

Love to see you on UT ondelette and maybe if you can find the time, you might just want to comment during the day before the thread starts to deteriorate.

It would even be better, if those we have been talking about, would calm down before continuing useless, to the rest of us, arguments. When you succumb to these cat fights, you are only giving more power and ammunition to your opponent and embarrassing yourself.

Running around yelling that the Terrorists will strike us, and that we'll see mushroom clouds and that we could lose a city and that some hate America is just heinous manipulation that has to stop.

Is there now any law that the president cannot break in the interest of national security? Is there any activity in which any corporation cannot engage if they justify it under the guise of national security? Like Bush, the telecoms made a conscious choice to break the law, and they have done so without any legal consequences whatsoever. What's next?

BUT, actual wiretapping, listening to US phones in the US still requires a warrant, yes?...Americans can be listened to without a warrant IF they are heard overseas. But not if the tap is in the US.

Despite the shifting of terms, strawman arguments, and contradictions in your many posts, your claims still remain inaccurate. Every call or email coming in to or out of the U.S. can now be tapped without a warrant or cause.

"SI.com has learned that for the first time in history, a major presidential candidate may sponsor a race car in NASCAR's premier series. According to sources, Barack Obama's campaign is in talks to become the primary sponsor of BAM Racing's No. 49 Sprint Cup car for the Pocono race on August 3. Details of the agreement are expected to be worked out over the coming days.

A BAM spokesperson has revealed the team will hold a press conference July 23 in Miami to reveal the partnership, currently a proposed one-race deal with an option to continue. Obama will be at the briefing, which will be tied to the "Get Out The Vote" campaign message he spread throughout the 2008 primary season.

Racing sources claim one of the options being considered would allow individual campaign donors to get their name on the race car for as little as $100. Obama will also be present for a second private fundraiser on July 30 in Miami, in which team owners Beth Ann and Tony Morgenthau -- staunch Republicans -- will give the Democrat an opportunity to spread his message of change. Randy Moss and Fergie are among the celebrities confirmed to be a part of that fundraiser in support of the candidate and his venture into NASCAR.

According to sources within the sport, the Association for Diversity in Motorsports (AFDIM) was an integral part of bringing the two camps together. Founded in '01, the organization works to heighten awareness of diversity in all forms of motorsports. They hope to tie their efforts in with a "Driving The Vote: Bridging The Gap" campaign to increase voter registration regardless of party affiliation.

While George Bush was prominently featured on Kirk Shelmerdine's No. 72 car in '04, this is the first time a national presidential campaign has actually given its own money to make itself a primary sponsor of a race car. The sport has typically shown itself to be a Republican stronghold, a trend two-time champ Jimmie Johnson recently alluded to when he said he believed John McCain was the candidate of choice for most NASCAR fans this year.

"

Tom Bowles

FRICKIN PUBLICITY STUNTS. just another candidate indeed. We need to bring these people into the bigger culture of america, they like to hide from. No ok and justify their seperation. Well, maybe he is doing that. Still. What a joke. what a waste of time. Doesn't he have bigger fish to fry?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/10/AR2008071003087.html

and

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-reefs11-2008jul11,0,4414034.story?track=rss

I think they are. (But not to the post, sorry)

Running around yelling that the Terrorists will strike us, and that we'll see mushroom clouds and that we could lose a city and that some hate America is just heinous manipulation that has to stop. -- ckelly707

Did you happen to see the news a week or so ago that the last of Saddam's 550 tons of yellowcake in Baghdad was carted off? Move along, nothing to see here.

But the real moral to the story is that the same people who claimed heinous manipulation into war are now using the same tactics. Tsk.