DARE WE HOPE?

[babylonsister]

What happened? The administration did everything right. The invocation of "countless American lives" hanging in the balance, the specter of terrorists delightedly chatting away undetected, the urgency emphasized by a threat to delay a long-scheduled presidential trip to Africa in order to secure the nation against attack.

That's right, the Protect America Act, the surveillance bill the administration pushed through Congress last August in a brilliantly executed squeeze play, will expire at midnight. The House should have already folded by now and simply passed the Senate's surveillance bill, complete with retroactive immunity for the telecoms. But the Dems haven't; they're sticking to the bill they passed months ago. What gives?

It might have something to do with the fact that the lapsing of the Protect America Act (PAA) won't substantially affect things at all. The old FISA law will kick back into effect. And authorizations granted under the PAA in the last six months to wiretap entire terrorist groups will stick for an entire year. In the words of House intelligence committee Chair Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), "Things will be fine."

In a conference call with journalists yesterday, Kenneth L. Wainstein, the head of the Justice Department's national security division, did his best to back up the president's warnings, but, according to The Washington Post, all he could come up with was that expiration of the law would require "more paperwork and time." The humanity!

But the Democrats seem callously immune to this new burden. The fear just didn't stick this time around (certainly by no fault of the White House). The House broke for a week's recess yesterday -- and not only did the Dems refuse to pass the Senate's version, but they also had the gall to pass contempt resolutions against White House officials on the same day.


more...

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/02/todays_must_read_277.php

[tekisui]

1. Most importantly, the Democrats stuck together.

They follow the lead of Pelosi. Pelosi seems ready to lead for Our country, now.

[ClassWarrior]

2. I'm proud of them. Now Pelosi just...

...needs to lead them to IMPEACHMENT hearings.

NGU.

[tekisui]

4. And she could.

Oh, please do it.

[ClassWarrior]

5. And she should.

Visualize it!

:toast:

NGU.

[babylonsister]

6. I'm so not confident she will, but will be deliriously happy if she does. nt

[Bolo Boffin]

3. All of this retroactive immunity crap is just Bush flanking the future criticism

when he simply pardons the telecoms preemptively, before any criminal proceedings or lawsuits hit them.

He's making it all about Congress. "Congress has left me no choice but to pardon these fine American companies." That way, the stigma of Ford pardoning Nixon or Poppy pardoning Weinberger is mitigated.

Plus, with retroactive immunity, no actual companies have to be named in public. The act of cooperation is covered. With pardons, Bush has to name who helped.

The Democrats should stand their ground. Election night, after the polls close, Bush is going to pardon them all anyway. And then he fully pardons Scooter. Right now, he's running down the clock.