Immune to Reality: Why is telecom immunity so important to Bush?

[babylonsister]

Immune to Reality: Why is telecom immunity so important to Bush?
Bush Administration
by Allan Uthman | February 28, 2008

— from the Buffalo Beast


Something astonishing happened the other day in the House: The Democratic leadership found some courage. After over a year of demoralizing, often inexplicable capitulation, they actually gathered the fortitude to push back slightly against Republicans on so-called national security issues. The Republicans’ response was swift: They took their ball and went home, after a brief stop at a prearranged press conference on the Capitol steps.

Two issues caused the dispute: One, in a stunning display of rudimentary oversight, the House issued contempt citations for two former Bush staffers, Harriet Meiers and Josh Bolten, who’ve been ducking House subpoenas for months now. This was predictably dismissed by weepy Minority Whip John Boehner as a “partisan fishing expedition,” a boilerplate cliché if ever there was one.

The second issue, which the indignant Republicans preferred to discuss, for obvious reasons, was the House Democrats’ refusal to cave on retroactive immunity for telecom companies, like AT&T and Sprint, for collaborating with the White House in spying on domestic internet and phone communications, which, to be clear, was tremendously illegal.

What’s less encouraging, but interesting, is that the Democrats were ready to sign off on extending the repugnantly named Protect America Act, except for telecom immunity. To Bush, this made the bill dead on arrival. That’s right; Bush promised to veto the bill if it reached his desk without a get out of jail free card for Comcast.

It’s hard to line that up with the apocalyptic tenor of Bush’s exhortations regarding the bill. If the warrantless domestic spying provisions of the Act were not renewed, Bush warned, Osama bin Laden would rain fire upon us all. But he was planning to veto them if they came to him without immunity. Naturally, this makes no fucking sense. Either Bush is willing to risk another 9/11 to embarrass the Democrats, or he’s lying when it comes to the threat posed by having to get a FISA warrant—retroactively, after the fact—for domestic surveillance. I think he’s lying, but I suppose it could be both.

It’s interesting that these issues are what it takes to really outrage Republicans—threaten huge corporate giants with lawsuits, or exercise congress’s constitutional oversight powers. Of course, it’s only natural that the Republicans would shudder at the prospect of effective investigations being conducted in the House. If the Democrats actually start following through on the legal options to compel testimony, it’s only a matter of time before everyone’s implicated. But telecom immunity?

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http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/13128

[daa]

1. Butthole Boortz

was whining about immunity for the phone companies. Protect the phone companies not Americans eh Boortz?

And now repukes are bitching that the phone companies are not coughing up any dollars for their campaign.

[Warpy]

2. The little bastard just doesn't want it to come out that he's been

spying on all his enemies and most of his friends.

Why the hell did you think he didn't go to a rubber stamp court for warrants?

He's got a lot to hide.

[babylonsister]

3. Yep. I absolutely agree. His desperation is showing. nt

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

4. My Theory...

As I understand it(which may be totally wrong)the telcos should have received a certificate to do their spying. The certificate if it exist probably came from the WH. Now, the authority to do this spying was illegal to begin with. Thus if the telcos are hauled into court they will produce this chimp-paper and say he told us to do it. Which will be a smoking gun in writing that Bush was breaking the law.

[pleah]

5. He is getting desperate.

Maybe this will be the thing that takes them all down, IF THE DEMS DON'T BLOW IT!

[wtmusic]

6. There is considerable Dem support for immunity too

and IMO they're waiting for the issue to "blow over". We can't let that happen.

[Demeter]

7. The Phone Companies Are Blackmailing the Blackmailer?

That's the only thing that would make sense:

"We did your dirty work, W, now get us immunized, or you'll never make another phone call that isn't monitored by a trooper again!"

They got the goods on W. Too bad they're such bad citizens that they won't drop a dime.