Russ is correct...as usual

[SHRED]

Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold
On the FISA Deal

June 19, 2008

“The proposed FISA deal is not a compromise; it is a capitulation. The House and Senate should not be taking up this bill, which effectively guarantees immunity for telecom companies alleged to have participated in the President’s illegal program, and which fails to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans at home. Allowing courts to review the question of immunity is meaningless when the same legislation essentially requires the court to grant immunity. And under this bill, the government can still sweep up and keep the international communications of innocent Americans in the U.S. with no connection to suspected terrorists, with very few safeguards to protect against abuse of this power. Instead of cutting bad deals on both FISA and funding for the war in Iraq, Democrats should be standing up to the flawed and dangerous policies of this administration.”

Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) is a member of the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence Committees.

http://feingold.senate.gov/~feingold/statements/08/06/20080619f.htm

---

House FISA vote

DEM
Yea - 105
Nay - 128

REP
Yea - 188
NAY - 1

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll437.xml

---

[Swamp Rat]

1. Appeasement: They have offered up the 4th Amendment to the Chimperor.

For what?

[Runcible Spoon]

3. that's what I can't figure out, because this shit is NOT popular with voters..

either it's cowardice or greed. I don't know which is worse.

[Swamp Rat]

13. I have been trying to figure it out all evening.

What do we get out of it? NOTHING.... no worse. We LOSE something very dear and necessary for this democracy to continue.

What do they get out if it? THAT is the 64 trillion dollar question.

If they voted against the FISA bill, they would be hailed as heros by the voters, except for a few dipshits who have no understanding of our constitutional government.

Instead, they voted for it - against the American People and the U.S. Constitution in support of a few corporations and a fascist administration.

What does that make them?: Appeasers, at best.

[Leopolds Ghost]

17. A promise not to have certain unexpected scandals pop up in the media?

[TexasObserver]

2. Russ is right, as usual.

[Jackpine Radical]

7. Russ is seldom right.

Correct, yes.
Left, yes.
Seldom right, and never far right.

[AuntPatsy]

4. I think we need to give Sen Obama a few more days to find the time

to listen to Feingold before some give up on him completely because the fact of the matter is, Feingold is right and anything less is capitulation....there is nothing here to deal with....no deal

[SHRED]

6. A "few more days"? read this:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/06/20/obama_supports_fisa_legislatio.html

[AuntPatsy]

14. Feingold is against it and will vote against it, pelosi voted for it? How can he stand with both?

What I mean is I wait to see what his vote is since the article somehow contradicts itself in that respect..

[Leopolds Ghost]

18. Yet again, some media fuckhead portrays this as a "left" hobbyhorse.

Note the weasel words: "walk a fine line between being weak on foriegn policy";
"claims the new law provides insuffcient court review of pending lawsuits"
which would be automatically thrown out by the law, which establishes that the
word of a Presidential aide is enough to indemnify someone of a crime such as
breaking and entering. Also note that Arlen Specter continues to be strongly opposed:

In so doing, Obama sought to walk the fine political line between GOP accusations that he is weak on foreign policy -- Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called passing the legislation a "vital national security matter" -- and alienating his base.

"Given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay. So I support the compromise, but do so with a firm pledge that as president, I will carefully monitor the program," Obama said in a statement hours after the House approved the legislation 293-129.

This marks something of a reversal of Obama's position from an earlier version of the bill, which was approved by the Senate Feb. 12, when Obama was locked in a fight for the Democratic nomination with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.).

Obama missed the February vote on that FISA bill as he campaigned in the "Potomac Primaries," but issued a statement that day declaring "I am proud to stand with Senator Dodd, Senator Feingold and a grassroots movement of Americans who are refusing to let President Bush put protections for special interests ahead of our security and our liberty."

Sens. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) and Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) continue to oppose the new legislation, as does Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). All Obama backers in the primary, those senior lawmakers contend that the new version of the FISA law -- crafted after four months of intense negotiations between White House aides and congressional leaders -- provides insufficient court review of the pending 40 lawsuits against the telecommunications companies alleging privacy invasion for their participation in a warrantless wiretapping program after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

"The immunity outcome is predetermined," Feingold wrote in a memo today.

Obama came down on the side of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who argued that a provision in the new law reaffirmed that FISA, and that act's courts, gives the final say over government spying. President Bush has argued that a war-time chief executive has powers that trump FISA.

"It restores FISA and existing criminal wiretap statutes as the exclusive means to conduct surveillance -- making it clear that the President cannot circumvent the law," Obama said today.

Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.), the most prominent Republican opponent of the compromise bill, issued a statement today calling that exclusivity provision "meaningless because that specific provision is now in 1978 act." Specter said Bush just ignored existing law in starting the warrantless surveillance program.

[midnight]

5. I was thinking how difficult it must be to work with such bone heads.

[lonestarnot]

8. No damn deal! Slam it shut!

[HCE SuiGeneris]

9. Sent to Gabrielle Giffords today after pleading with her yesterday...

Thank you for choosing not to defend the 4th amendment with your Aye vote regarding H.R. 6304. What a travesty. Your capitulation is deeply dis-heartening. My vote for you as a Democrat has been cast in vain.

Is there not an oath that you are sworn to iterating your defense of the Constitution? I would love to hear your justification to cast aside liberty and freedom to achieve... what exactly? Security? Protect the corporate individual in lieu of a natural citizen's rights?

This is an incredibly sad day for Democracy, and for the people of this country.

[rumpel]

10. Who is the courageous 1 Rep vote?

We should praise him/her.

I just thanked Waxman, since he is my c-man.

[riverdeep]

12. That's what I wanted to know too.

Curious where they're from.

[Tigress DEM]

15. Probably Patrick Leahy.

He's been steadily against warrantless spying on American's.

[Drunken Irishman]

16. Leahy ain't a Republican.

[Breeze54]

23. WTF?

Patrick Leahy is a repub? :wtf:

Have more coffee! :donut:

:P

[crickets]

19. It was Timothy Johnson of Illinois

H.R. 6304: To amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to establish a procedure... (Vote On Passage)
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2008-437

[Tutonic]

11. Obama had better carefully read what Feingold said today.

He can either vote like a Chicago pol and count himself among friends or vote like a new breed of politician that upholds the constitution. The world will be watching.

[Hubert Flottz]

20. Russ for VP!

K&R...

[boomerbust]

21. The year was 2005

Russ Feingold stood alone on the Senate floor and called for the censure of Bush. Where were his Democratic friends when he needed them? They were all running for the doors so they wouldnt be seen with him. Maybe Bush would be gone by now if they would have followed his lead, but no they were too cowardly to back him!

[Breeze54]

22. U.S. Senator Russ Feingold for VP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I :loveya: Russ !!

:kick: & Recommended!

[Captain Hilts]

24. And Obama has no opinion. nt

[cascadiance]

25. Russ IS our Senate Majority Leader!

And once we get the Blue Dogs OUT OF TOWN, he can help the Democrats TRULY be represented again when we get Reid the hell out of there!