During the FISA votes, Microphone accidentally picks up two Senators joking:

[Junkdrawer]

"Let your conscience be your guide."

((laughter))

"You do have a conscience?"

((laughter))

"No."

((laughter))

I posted this on this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2851202&mesg_id=2851396

at 10:50 AM Eastern this morning. It would have been captured at, say, 10:45 AM by anyone's TiVO if they had that on.

Now, what does it mean? Well, my guess is that one floor leader or another was freeing a member to vote as they will because a sufficient number of votes were already lined up.

BTW: If you check the thread above, TahitiNut heard the same thing.

Reposted by request

[ixion]

1. sick bastards

it's no wonder this country is going to hell.

[leftchick]

18. we have a whole congress full of them

sick bastards. help! :(

[ClayZ]

2. The truth will out! K and R

[SoCalDem]

3. heh heh.. I always turn the sound up before & after stuff like that

cspan microphones pick up all kinds of interesting chatter..

once when snotty scotty was still doing the briefings, I heard someone say "what a load of bullshit"

[MADem]

4. It might just mean that a couple of farts were being snarky and/or sardonic... NT

[Olney Blue]

7. Probably.

[Island Blue]

5. Any idea who they were?

I hope to hell no Democrat would say this, but you never know.

[LiberalFighter]

19. I would bet it was a Democrat as most if not all Republicans would

have no trouble supporting the bill.

[tandot]

6. I hope someone is able to find out who those f*ckers are.

KO should be informed of that.

[MADem]

11. Ah, yes, let's stone them in the public square for their smartassery!!!

That's the ticket!

There will be NO HUMOR, gallows or otherwise, in the Senate. They must spend their days being stodgy jerks with poles up their asses.

[tandot]

13. It was the FISA vote granting retroactive immunity to phone companies

for spying on US residents.

In that context, I don't find anything funny about what those two f*ckers said.

[MADem]

16. No gallows humor allowed! TANDOT has SPOKEN!!!!

People do make jokes even during tough times. It's the way some people lighten an oppressive mood.

Of course, those who have had a radical humorectomy cannot fathom this.

[tandot]

17. Boy, thanks for your nasty comment.

Have a nice live.

[MADem]

20. My comment was not "nasty" and if you think so you are hypersensitive. NT

[Bluerthanblue]

24. some things just really aren't funny- and the only

people really qualified to "joke" about them, are those who've survived.

IMO-

people make jokes about incest too. and lynching. and the holocaust.

not a 'joking' matter.

peace~

[kenfrequed]

27. Right....gallows humor

Wow, another argument for status-quo/sell-out Democrats.

But wait?

Gallows humor is sort of fatalistic in nature, isn't it? I mean it suggests the inevitability of something that is bad, and attempts to make light of the situation. I'm not quite clear on how joking about not having a conscience would qualify. I mean if a Democrat said something like:

"So how much democracy does that leave us?" or something to that effect.

If it was a joke about how lost their cause was in resisting, why not joke about the lost cause?


Nope, sorry your assertion just doesn't seem likely.

Nevermind the fact that it really isn't a lost cause since we actually ARE in the Majority.

[TwilightGardener]

8. Actually, I think it's hilarious. I have that same snarky, dark sense of humor though.

Wish I knew who'd said it, they'd go up a notch in my book.

[Greyskye]

9. Calling KO

Maybe, MAYBE, with enough attention and outrage these scum can be identified.

:wtf: has happened to our country?

[AntiFascist]

10. The subtext is....the deposit has been made into your account. n/t

[MADem]

12. Wow, no shortage of...er..."vivid imaginations" hereabouts!

:rofl:

[Junkdrawer]

22. Give the conversation, more likely it was "Too bad pal, I have all the votes I need."

"Better luck next vote."

[HCE SuiGeneris]

14. Kick.

[KharmaTrain]

15. True Dat...

Reid was trying to be smart by half...as usual. While he claims he opposes immunity and in his "heart of hearts" he agrees with Senator Dodd, he refuses to stand with him. Inversely, he doesn't want to piss off Rockafeller and the "moderates" who want the FISA bill and don't care about the immunity...they're scared of being labeled "weak" at their next drinkie-drinkie party. So Reid punts. He tells the caucus to "vote your conscience". In essence he railroads Dodd as Reid knows that without the leadership whipping the votes, the ammendments will go down...and they did.

I wonder what pictures the telcoms have of Rockafeller and small animals? Now its fall back time...again. Here's hoping the House has some sanity to poison pill this thing and forces a veto that starts this whole mess over again. The best strategy may just be to play for time...do the reverse on this regime...keep dragging this debate beyond November.

[12string]

23. Scared of being labeled as WEAK

I just can't buy that bullshit excuse anymore.It's like the
kid who's dog ate their homework for the 19th time this
month.After a while you just have to call BULLSHIT!Complicit
is a more truthful description.If they were truly worried
about being labeled as weak they wouldn't cave to the repugs
on every bit of legislation they were elected not to condone.

[hootinholler]

21. Well, was the camera on them?

Who was in the well? Perhaps one of the Corrupt Bastards Club?

-Hoot

[chimpymustgo]

25. Kicking this. Need to find out who these bastards are.

[donkeyotay]

28. Yes, the Republic Corrupt Bastards Club

Must be more of that dark humor, or a way to laugh all the way to the bank. The Senate has no conscience. It died in Wellstone's plane crash.

[ThomWV]

26. Fucking traitors.

[RuleOfNah]

29. Is that ironic (in the technical sense)?

FISA vote...microphone...accidentally...Senators

Fool them twice, shame on them?