Constitutional scholar (Turley) pans Clinton for fleeing from FISA fight

[antigop]

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Turley_The_fix_has_been_in_0214.html

Constitutional lawyer Jonathan Turley criticized the Senate for bowing to President Bush's demands for more spying power and amnesty for potentially law-breaking telecommunications companies.

"The fix has been in for some time on the unlawful surveillance program and the torture program," he said Wednesday on Countdown with Keith Olbermann. "Many Democrats and Republicans were aware of the program and they are actively helping the White House to try to shut down any confrontation on the issue. This is also helped by the fact the telecoms are one of the five most powerful lobbying forces in Washington, and many of these members have close ties to those lobbyists."

Turley panned presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who skipped the politically tricky and controversial Senate vote on the spy law Tuesday even though she had been campaigning in Washington that day.

[jasmine621]

1. Did he also mention that Obama skipped the final vote? nt

[peace13]

3. The operative word being 'final' ?

I think they knew that it was a done deal by then. Peace, Kim

[Xipe Totec]

10. It was a done deal from the beginning

So the last vote was purely symbolic.

and both candidates missed it.

The other important vote was cloture and it passed by a wide margin. Obama voted no, and Clinton didn't vote.

Clinton's vote would not have mattered in this case either.

[Inuca]

4. He DID vote in all the major

and controversial amendments. Big difference.

[Tellurian]

12. Can you list them here?

[Windy]

9. My God Jasmine. Is there anything that Clinton does that you won't spin?

She is all about politics. She voted for the war to send men and women off to die unnecessarily to protect her "political standing" with republicans in anticipation of her presidential run. She voted for Kyl/Lieberman for the same reason! Now this!

Obama took a stand on immunity for the telecoms. Your candidate decided to sit this one out so that the repubs couldn't throw that up and try and use it against her in the general...

The general! She hasn't even won the right to run in the general on behalf of the democrats! Just like she is skipping over the states up to Texas and Ohio, she is skipping over on an issue that is important to our party to build her "firewall" against the repubs! SAD!!!!!

[SaveOurDemocracy]

2. HRC didn't 'flee' anything ...she's on the record.

http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=292758&&

February 12, 2008

Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on the FISA Amendments Act of 2007


"I believe we need to modernize our surveillance laws and give our nation’s intelligence professionals the tools they need to fight terrorism and to make our country more secure. At the same time, smart, balanced reform must also protect the rights and civil liberties of Americans. In my opinion, the FISA Amendments Act of 2007 falls short of these goals, and for that reason, I oppose the bill.


As I have maintained for months, I oppose the provision contained in the bill that grants blanket retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that allegedly cooperated in the administration's warrantless wiretapping program. I believe granting retroactive immunity under these circumstances is wrong and undermines accountability. To that end, I have supported and cosponsored Senator Dodd’s strong efforts to strip this provision from the FISA bill, and was discouraged to see the amendment fail by such a significant margin.


Over the past seven years, the Bush Administration has blatantly and systematically disregarded Americans' civil liberties. It cannot be trusted to protect Americans’ privacy rights. That is why I strongly believe we need to pass balanced legislation that protects our civil liberties and the rule of law while giving our law enforcement and intelligence agencies the tools they need to protect our country."

[peace13]

5. With that on record ya gotta wonder why it was not important

enough to vote? Peace, Kim

[SaveOurDemocracy]

7. She was in Texas when the final vote was taken...

BO didn't make it for the final vote either. You DO know it wasn't even a close vote, don't you? I'm sure if her vote would have changed the outcome she would have been there.

[peace13]

11. ok n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

6. I have a lot of respect for Turley. He is intelligent and well-spoken.

His main concern seems to be what is just and right. He appears to be concerned with the constitution, and the horrific undermining of it by some.
I have seen him many times on Keith Olbermann's show, and his opinion always seems right on target.

[Hepburn]

8. As a lawyer, I echo your statements.

I find him informative and well-spoken. I am glad he takes the time to discuss matters such as this and give his point of view.

[goldcanyonaz]

13. Turley hates the Clinton's, nothing new here. Area-51 lawsuit comes to mind...

Anyone unfamiliar with this can read Turley's comments here.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/webextras/area51/1997/law.html

[Yossariant]

14. Turley's an ass. The immunity amendment and the final vote had the same margins.

One was no more or less important than the other. Both were done deals.

Obama dropped in for a photo op with McCain.

:puke: