Reid capitulating on FISA, Dodd pressured

Keep you eyes open as Harry Reid brings the FISA bill, complete with telecom immunity to the floor of the Senate for a vote within the first few weeks of the Senate's return to Washington.

Once again Glenn Greenwald explicates the complicated turns of Reid's parliamentary maneuverings, the pressure being brought on important players, the fickle nature of the Democratic caucus, and the treatment of Connecticut's Chris Dodd as a renegade.

Chris Dodd could use our support, because it appears as if he'll get precious little from his colleagues.

Dodd makes a difference...FISA bill pulled

Just found out while watching Countdown on MSNBC. Thanks to Chris Dodd's efforts, the bill has been pulled by Harry Reid. Debate on the bill will resume next month.

Almost makes up for the shameful actions of Creepy Joe Lieberman.

Hey get your immunity here, red hot immunity right here

Not only is the Bush administration pushing for ex post facto immunity for giant telecoms, but it turns out that the State Department has already handed out immunity to the murdering mercenaries of Blackwater.

Dodd keeps hammering, no Republicans nailed so far

On the floor of the Senate, Chris Dodd continues to speak against retroactive immunity for telecoms in the FISA bill.

Just one problem, the entire FISA bill is problematic, allowing spying on US citizens. It's not merely retroactive immunity that's the problem. It's the simple fact of giving more power to a power-mad administration.

Props to Dodd, but he's got to step it up. Needless to say, his timorous colleagues need to follow his example, particularly one Hillary Clinton. How is she ahead in the polls.

Whip it

Chris Dodd just wrote a bunch of us an email with practical suggestions for preventing telecom immunity in the FISA bill. I prefer to stop the FISA bill in its tracks, but here's what Chris has to say:

Let's get right to it and talk about how we stop retroactive telecommunications immunity from becoming law. The way I see it, there are three ways to get this provision stripped from the final bill:

1.)The first step would be to make sure the idea doesn't make it out of the Senate Judiciary Committee -- where it will be considered shortly. If we can get it stripped there, it will have to be offered as an amendment to the overall bill where it will be a lot easier to get 41 votes against retroactive immunity than 41 to sustain my filibuster if necessary.

Take a moment and call up members of the committee, let me know what they said, and join others in tracking our progress in stopping the provision right there.

http://chrisdodd.com/immunity

The other two ways: 2.) If retroactive immunity does make it out of committee, Senate leadership can honor the hold I've placed on any legislation that includes retroactive immunity. 3.) If leadership does not honor my hold, I remain committed to filibustering, and working to get the 41 votes necessary to maintain it.

This has the potential to be a long fight -- so let's build a solid foundation for our effort today by asking members of the Judiciary Committee to vote against any FISA bill that includes retroactive amnesty.

http://chrisdodd.com/immunity

I'd like to see a little more spine, frankly, on these issues. People tell us they want to lead, but a little leadership right now would certainly be welcomed on these questions. I don't want to, but I'm not afraid to do this alone. Chris

The links will take you to the phone numbers of Judiciary committee members who can vote to strip FISA of retroactive immunity. The chart at the bottom of this blog will indicate, over the next few weeks, how successful we were.

Anybody here, seen my friend Robert

Glenn Greenwald (how does this man research and write as many columns a week as he does?), resurrects Robert Kennedy to demonstrate why the FISA bill should not provide retroactive immunity to the telecoms.

Tip of the hat to Mr. Gill.