Vote On FISA Delayed Until July

[Hope And Change]

Vote On FISA Delayed Until July


By Greg Sargent - June 26, 2008, 1:52PM

Looks like the Senate vote on the FISA cave legislation, which was set for as early as today or tomorrow, has been postponed until Senators come back from recess in July:

Objections by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) will push back an overhaul of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) until after lawmakers return in July, Democratic leaders said Thursday. Feingold is strongly opposed to language that would likely give telephone companies that participated in warrantless surveillance retroactive immunity from lawsuits.
"It doesn't look like it," Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said of taking up the FISA bill this week. "Sen. Feingold wants additional time and would like to postpone it until after the Fourth of July."

It's possible that this could make life a bit tougher for Senators who support the legislation and wanted to put the vote on it behind them. And it's certainly a setback for the measure's champions in the House, such as Rep. Steny Hoyer, who have been eager to get the cave-in bill signed into law already.


more...

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/06/vote_on_fisa_delayed_until_jul.php

[Frustratedlady]

1. Good! What more can we do to sway them?

I don't feel good about this vote or the way some are looking at it. I think the ones who are voting to approve should publicly explain why.

Convince me!

[asjr]

5. I don't understand how ANY of them

are looking at it. Sometimes I think it is written in Greek and I do not speak Greek.

[whistle]

2. Okay, bought a little time to get the truth out, maybe formulate and bring a quick lawsuit

...against one of the telecoms ASAP preventing Congress from making a rule that gives immunity

[Frustratedlady]

8. Isn't the ACLU on this?

[blogslut]

3. Good

Now we can work on getting them to remove the retroactive immunity. If they remove retroactive immunity, Bush will veto the bill and we can let the 111th Congress take a crack at overhauling FISA completely.

[SteppingRazor]

4. Well, that's about the best we could've hoped for, for now...

I don't know what will change between now and July to get more Dems to vote their conscience instead of for political expediency, but at least this buys us time.

[dflprincess]

6. It gives us time to hammer our senators with how they should vote against this

Klobuchar changed her vote the 2nd time it came up after she found out Minnesotans were actually paying attention to what she was doing in D.C.

We must keep the pressure on.

[fascisthunter]

7. this is very true

I will do my part to try to sway them. As long as there is a chance, I will try to help.

[blondeatlast]

9. So which Senators are swayable? Mine are Mccain and Kyl--I've called them already

and there's not a dime's use in doing it again.

I'm not even certain how to find out who might change their vote, can anyone help?

[flpoljunkie]

10. FISA cloture vote yesterday was 80 to 15 with 5 not voting.

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00158

Not encouraging.

[GihrenZabi]

11. Who cares about immunity

The issue is passing the legislation AT ALL.

[blondeatlast]

12. (ahem) nt