This about sums it up:
Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold On Republican Obstructionism on Fixing FISA
“The conduct of Senate Republicans yesterday was shameless. After weeks of insisting that it is absolutely critical to finish the FISA legislation by February 1, even going so far as to object to a one-month extension of the Protect America Act, they obstructed all efforts to actually work on the bill. Now they want to simply ram the deeply flawed Intelligence Committee bill through the Senate. They refused to allow amendments to be offered or voted on, including my straight-forward amendment to require that the government provide copies of FISA Court orders and pleadings for review in a classified setting, so that Members of Congress can understand how FISA has been interpreted and is being applied. If the Republicans succeed in cutting off debate on Monday, the Senate won’t even get to vote on the amendment Senator Dodd and I want to offer to deny retroactive immunity to telecom companies that allegedly cooperated with the administration’s illegal wiretapping program.
“Democrats should not allow the Republicans to ram this bill through the Senate without amendments. Monday’s cloture vote will be a test of whether the majority is willing to stand up to the administration and stand up for our rights.”
So, Harry Reid should call a press conference and announce to the world that obstructionist Repugs have held up passage of legislation critical to our security. It should be made clear that the only alternative they favor would absolve criminal behavior on a grand scale.
They should have done the same with SCHIP, announcing that Repugs favor having millions of children uninsured.
And wreck their own retirement plans? Why on EARTH would they want to do that? Just because of an oath they took? C’mon. Get real.
I’m afraid the Reid only makes bold public statements when it is necessary to take down someone in his own party.
So tell me again, to what party does Harry Reid belong??? Cause sometimes its hard to tell.
In fairness, that stand of Reid’s is precisely why that Republicans freaked out and wouldn’t allow any votes on amendments. They wanted a 60-vote rule and Reid wouldn’t give it to them.
I will say this, BooMan. If Reid actually has a strategy in this to give Bush what he says he wants rather than what he really wants and it too scared to admit publicly, I will give him a hearty attaboy. If this is played well and the Democrats can manage to siphon away just a few people who voted for the SIC bill to vote against cloture and also support Dodd’s filibuster, the President risks standing before the country to give his SOTU speech while having a huge amount of egg on his face. A marvelous opportunity to poke Bush in the eye with a pointed stick.
It would be worth setting your TIVO for.
Rockefeller sent out a statement last night that he would not support cloture under these circumstances, so I don’t think we have to worry too much about that specific problem. Maybe the Republicans just wanted to get to Davos and that is why they blew things up yesterday, but if they won’t allow any amendments, then I think they will be taking the blame on Monday when nothing gets done. We’ll see if they have a different strategy on Monday.
Harry Reid belongs to the “Don’t Call me Soft on terrorism and keep the Telecom Money Coming Party”, as our gracious host pointed out yesterday.
When Steven D. is president, we’ll deal with them the only way we know how.
Yeah…now with 12 members and an honorary chair for Smokin’ Joe Lieberman.
Your idea is good political strategy, but I think the cost is too high. Nothing about FISA is critical to our security, and we shouldn’t keep pretending otherwise.
Huh?
I would argue that FISA is all about personal as well as national security.
I’d agree. FISA is one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation we have. And they are trying to gut it.
I don’t blame the Republicans one bit. They play politics. Why wouldn’t they challenge the bags of bones that constitute the “backbone” of the Democratic party? If I were them, I would go in for the kill as well because it is a near certainty that the Democrats will run shrieking from the fight. I would likewise expect my political comrades to go in for the kill when we see our opponent mortally wounded.
I cannot remember the last time the Democratic party displayed an ounce of courage. Why should the Republicans and Bush be magnaminous in victory? They are probably shocked at how easy it is to vanquish the Democrats in the current environment. They are probably looking around at each other bewildered–but they do what any good politician would do–go in for the kill. What’s one more kick in the ass as the Democrats retreat? The Democrats will take their kick in the ass and thank the Republicans for not beating them any more.
It’s shameful. And even Feingold’s statement is too meek for my taste. I’m hoping it’s simply Senatorial decorum. But even that is a sign of weakness–the Republicans would never extend him the same courtesy.
Where is the Democrat call to action? Do they have any fight in them at all? For anything? Where is the call for Democrats to go on the offensive against Bush? If the DemocRATs were my soldiers in arms I would frag them for the overall good of the team. An army would be much better off just executing these numbnut Gomer Pyles.
Is there not a Democrat that is appropriately outraged? Where are the party faithful encouraging the Democrats to fight? Were are the firebrands that are willing to stick their neck out and attack the Republicans and take the heat for the party? How are they not shamed–not only at the injustice about to take place but at the embarrassing spectacle of the Democrats being revealed as the spineless coward clusterfucks that they are.
It is natural to hate losers. Some of us may have empathy for losers–occasionally. But really, the Democrats are not some sympathetic, sorry-looking charity case–an abandoned puppy–they are the losers that everyone enjoys to see fail–the carrot tops, the Brittany Spears, the Pucks (my favorite loser from Real World), and every other drunk, pathetic loser that falls on his face and everyone scorns.
That is the modern Democratic party.
They are losers. Cut and run defeatists. Cowards.
And if you are a silly enough soul to spend any energy defending these numnuts you deserve the disappointment that will inevitably occur.