Telecom Immunity

Chris Dodd, without Obama, Clinton or Biden, pulled off the filibuster threat for the time being. The FISA bill vote is pushed back to January 15.

Maybe you were one of the people who signed on at Dodd's site to have this thing stopped. Here's his thanks:

Telecom Immunity

At TPM Cafe, Russ Feingold discusses where things stand with the attempt to provide retroactive immunity to companies who cooperated with the government's illegal wiretapping program.

Update: Chris Dodd left the Iowa campaigning behind to filibuster the bill for "as long as he can." Senators Obama, Biden and Clinton have said they'll support him. That support would come in the form of being there to ask questions of him while he's on the floor as a ruse to give him a speaking break. But they're still in Iowa.

Update 12/19/07: Dodd pulled it off without having to filibuster - at least for the time being.

Gonzo v.2

According to TPM, Chris Dodd is the first Democrat to claim he will vote against Mukasey for AG, because of Mukasey's assertion that the president can overrule Federal statute for national security reasons.

That should be a no-brainer, and there really shouldn't be any question in any Democrat's mind about voting against him. Add to that his hedging around the issue of waterboarding.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.

No Telecom Amnesty

Chris Dodd, Democratic Presidential candidate has put a hold on the FISA bill that would provide amnesty for telecom companies who gave up private info to the government.

The Military Commissions Act. Warrantless wiretapping. Shredding of Habeas Corpus. Torture. Extraordinary Rendition. Secret Prisons.

No more.

I have decided to place a "hold" on the latest FISA bill that would have included amnesty for telecommunications companies that enabled the President's assault on the Constitution by illegally providing personal information on their customers without judicial authorization.

I said that I would do everything I could to stop this bill from passing, and I have.

It's about delivering results -- and as I've said before, the FIRST thing I will do after being sworn into office is restore the Constitution. But we shouldn't have to wait until then to prevent the further erosion of our country's most treasured document. That's why I am stopping this bill today.

  

Click this link to see what a “hold” means. Click this link to offer words of support for Senator Dodd.

But....did Ron Wyden already insert a "poison pill" into the bill, effectively stopping it anyway? And if so, does that make Chris Dodd's hold a mere presidential campaign ploy?

Update 10/20/07: Russ Feingold co-wrote that amendment.