Holt turns up the heat on Klein.
By on Nov 27th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
Holt turns up the heat on Klein.
Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) sets the record straight, after Time magazine columnist Joe Klein ignorantly claimed the Democrats’ FISA reform legislation “would give terrorists the same legal protections as Americans.” Holt explains the Restore Act “explicitly states that no court order is required to listen to the conversations of foreigners that happen to pass through the U.S. telecommunications system. It does not grant Constitutional rights to foreign terrorists.” Glenn Greenwald writes, “It would be nice if other Congressional Democrats spoke up and objected to Time’s false smearing of them.” Meanwhile, FDL reports that Time is circling the wagons around Klein, refusing to answer questions about his errors.
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OHMIGOD, not those damn facts again!!
Who let them in!!!
November 27th, 2007 at 2:28 pmWhy do facts hate America?
November 27th, 2007 at 2:31 pmWow. A House Dem with some stones. I always wondered what that would look like.
November 27th, 2007 at 2:31 pmTime is just following WH orders….still.
November 27th, 2007 at 2:35 pmTime is just following WH orders….still.
Comment by SWBob
Yep.
November 27th, 2007 at 2:36 pmI’ve started to enjoy reading Think Progress more lately. Stays very current with breaking news but strives to write about it intellectually without too much sensationalism.
Kudos.
November 27th, 2007 at 2:37 pmDoes anybody besides Fox News viewers even read Time any more? I won’t even read it in the doctor’s waiting room.
November 27th, 2007 at 2:41 pmWatch out Holt, GW666 and Darth Dick still have lots of that anthrax that they love sending out to decenters.
If Klein had reported honestly he would have lost his job and the Evil Duo would have had to have his career destroyed thru smear and fear.
Bush/Cheney
Hague Trials ‘09
Buck Fush
November 27th, 2007 at 2:42 pmGlenn Greenwald and Jane Hamsher (love her!) are on top of this. Joke Line’s latest response is “I have neither the time nor legal background to figure out who’s right.” The comments on his Swampland blog are just awesome, with many commenters poitning out that, as a purported professional journalist, Klein had no business writing about something if he had neither the time nor expertise to determine the truth of it.
November 27th, 2007 at 2:43 pmIt’s a sad state of affairs when politicians have to play “truth detective” and fact-check supposed journalists.
Of course, there will never be enough politicians in the country to stay ahead of FoxSnooze and talk radio.
November 27th, 2007 at 2:45 pm“Principles, evidence, and facts be damned. It is loyalty and the individual that matters. Honesty is a superficial and secondary concern.”
—Bush Docrine Protocol for MSM and CEO’s
November 27th, 2007 at 2:46 pmThe Swampland comments are always entertaining when Klein steps in it. The amazing thing is how practically the entire thread just beats him up and no one seems to defend him – it’s HIS blog!
November 27th, 2007 at 2:47 pmFacts are stupid things.
— Ronald Reagan
November 27th, 2007 at 2:53 pmIt takes Rush Holt to teach Klein something he already knows?? Everyone knows that spying can begin immediately under the FISA rules with a defacto warrant applied for within 72 hours.
November 27th, 2007 at 3:10 pmThat arthur is it Ron Kessler is also spewing these same lies .
When I heard him tell his audience that Democrats will give terrorist the same rights as americans ,I thought my head would blow off.
But really our rights are the same as a terrorist .
November 27th, 2007 at 3:10 pmThey can open our mail ,read our e-mail , listen to our phone conversations ,snoop in our houses , and declare an american citzen an enemy combatant and disappear us.
So really whats the fight all about !!!!
this *is* THE big story right now, not because of klein himself, not even because of FISA itself, but because it perfectly illustrates how DISEASED our media is.
i am so glad that an actual elected official is speaking up now…i wondered why pelosi & reid were keeping their mouths shut & leaving all the work to Greenwald.
Greenwald *IS* more than capable, but he isnt an elected official, you know. its not *his* legislation thats being misrepresented.
November 27th, 2007 at 3:10 pmPoor Joe. Perhaps he’s finally been found out. Too bad it took this long.
With regard to FISA and RESTORE, let’s just put Restore on the shelf until say February 2009.
Until then, we can just operate under the old FISA law which the 9/11 commission found to be working fine and which W, upon taking office and before the events of 9/11, was already working to gut. Besides, W has already indicated he will continue to ignore whatever Congress passes and Congress has indicated (time and time and time and time and time and time and time again) that it has no interest in making the President of the United States of America, gasp, follow the law. At least my solution will allow us to know what law the Unitary Executive is violating and, as an added benefit, we don’t have to worry about this or that member of Congress insert some little provision in after the fact.
FISA, the problem that does not exist. RESTORE, a fix in search of a problem. I say get old skool on them and “Just say no.”
November 27th, 2007 at 3:19 pmThis is a tired story this “giving rights to terrorists” that Republicans, cowards, chickenhawks and Klein push.
November 27th, 2007 at 3:38 pm“A House Dem with some stones.”
dude’s also a rocket scientist. he tased jokeline with knowledge, bro.
November 27th, 2007 at 4:12 pm