Telecom Immunity Update! Dem "Think Tank" says "Telecom Immunity Could be Separated" from Bill!

[KoKo]

(Got this in my e-mail today from "CAP" and it sounds like a very good thing if Senate would "split this bill" and allow separate votes on each section. I'm hoping that Obama, Dodd, Hillary Feingold and the rest might just do this seeing the "backlash from left" and Civil Rights and Constitution Lawyers, plus EFF and others who are lobbying hard but don't have the "clout" of the telecoms." Here's the last paragraphs of what they sent me. The whole thing is at the "link."

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SEPARATE SENATE IMMUNITY VOTE?: The Senate will likely pass the House's legislation since it already approved immunity for telecoms last February. At the time, House leaders "offered to extend temporarily the other provisions of the eavesdropping law, the Protect America Act, while the immunity issues were debated." The deal, however, was rejected by conservatives and led to the current "compromise" bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) last week told Bloomberg TV that he will "try to have a separate vote on immunity" when the legislation comes before his chamber. "Probably we can't take that out of the bill, but I'm going to try," he said. This debate will also focus the spotlight on the two presidential contenders. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) has indicated that he plans to vote for the bill, but added that he opposes telecom immunity and "will work in the Senate to remove this provision so that we can seek full accountability for past offenses." Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) also plans to vote for the bill, but has made no apologies about providing immunity. The McCain campaign has explained that "companies who assist the government in good faith should not be punished." He voted for the Senate's immunity bill in February. McCain has also attempted to give the Bush administration a pass on its warrantless National Security Agency surveillance program, exposed in December 2005. "It's ambiguous as to whether the president acted within his authority of not," he claimed, directly contradicting the August 2006 ruling of U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor, which declared the program unconstitutional.

INTENSIVE LOBBYING CAMPAIGN: The White House was clearly pleased with the House's bill, since officials had worked for months to obtain telecom immunity. On Friday, President Bush called it a "good bill." Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell even allowed the Bush administration to put him in the "unusual role of intelligence community lobbyist" in order to pass this legislation; traditionally, intelligence chiefs have been expected to "remain insulated from policy issues." Throughout this process, there has been little compromise or cooperation by White House officials, who worked closely with the telecom industry. Not surprisingly, the Bush administration refused to publicly release "internal e-mails, letters and notes showing contacts with major telecommunications companies over how to persuade Congress to back a controversial surveillance bill." According to CQ, telecoms and their business allies spent more than "$14 million lobbying in just the first three months of this year."

http://www.americanprogressaction.org/progressreport

[Canuckistanian]

1. Reid: I ‘will try to have a separate vote on immunity.’

Yesterday, the House passed a “compromise” wiretapping bill that “condones the actions of telecommunications companies that cooperated with illegal warrantless surveillance after 9/11 by virtually assuring the dismissal of the dozens of lawsuits pending against them.” While indicating his “support” for the bill, Sen. Barack Obama said he will “work in the Senate to remove” the provision granting retroactive immunity to the telecoms. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) said he will “try to have a separate vote on immunity.” “Probably we can’t take that out of the bill, but I’m going to try,” he said.

http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/20/155839/542/779/539258
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/06/21/reid-i-will-try-to-have-a-separate-vote-on-immunity/

[Hippo_Tron]

2. They are worried Bush will veto with no telecom immunity...

And then proceed to accuse the Democrats of endangering the country. Why they don't call his bluff and accuse him of endangering the country I can't understand.

[Lugnut]

3. K&R n/t