Marcy Wheeler (Empty Wheel) has good insight into why Reid is holding FISA Hostage to other Bills...

[KoKo]

(The whole article is a good read about what might be Harry Reid's strategy...and maybe Pelosi's. They want the Iraq Supplemental and Housing Bill to get through and they are willing to trade those with Repugs to ditch FISA with Immunity being overturned)

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About Reid’s Potential Delay
By: emptywheel Wednesday June 25, 2008 6:30 am
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Folks are seeing a glimmer of hope in the FISA battle based on Harry Reid's suggestion that we might not get FISA done before the July 4 recess.

-snip-

Effectively, Reid is saying that Bush can't get his supplemental or his FISA until Reid gets his housing bill.

Now call me crazy. But I don't think Reid's speech was really a promise that we'll have another delay on FISA and one more chance to try to defeat immunity. I read this as Reid using FISA--a bill he knows will eventually pass, but one that has great support for a filibuster--to get what he needs on housing. Bush can have his supplemental and FISA so long as the one Republican hold-out on housing flips, and so long as Bush agrees to the housing bill (goddamn, I hope that Reid has determined to hold up FISA and the supplemental until he gets Bush's signature on housing). It sounds like he has even secured agreement from Dodd (the author of the housing compromise) and Feingold not to filibuster if the Senate can push through the housing bill.

So I'm not holding out great hope that we'll get a reprieve on FISA. Rather, I'm guessing this means Reid is holding the supplemental and FISA hostage to get the housing bill passed.

more at........
http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/06/25/about-reids-potential-delay/

[jwirr]

1. This idea is not new. Attaching social programs to bills the repubs

want badly is many times the only way to get them. In this administration I would be careful as the spy bill is dangerous.