Here’s a partial answer:

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) today announced his support for a sweeping intelligence surveillance law that has been heavily denounced by the liberal activists who have fueled the financial engines of his presidential campaign.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/06/20/obama_supports_fisa_legislatio.html

Some of the claims of presidential abuse of the constitution and of liberty may have been demagoguery. The policies may be more reasonable than some opponents charge.

Here’s Obama in Feb:

Obama missed the February vote on that FISA bill as he campaigned in the “Potomac Primaries,” but issued a statement that day declaring “I am proud to stand with Senator Dodd, Senator Feingold and a grassroots movement of Americans who are refusing to let President Bush put protections for special interests ahead of our security and our liberty.”

But our leaders do face a level of expectation for security. The balance between preserving liberty, while we ensure security, is a difficult one.

“Given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay. So I support the compromise, but do so with a firm pledge that as president, I will carefully monitor the program,” Obama said in a statement hours after the House approved the legislation 293-129.

F_ck off, prick.

What Zooey said.

Sir, your FIRST and UTMOST obligation as Majority Leader is to DEFEND THE EFFING CONSTITUTION AGAINST ALL ENEMIES FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC!!!!!!! Well guess what Harry, there are a couple of domestic enemies to the Constitution sitting smuggly and unchallenged right in the effing White House in case you haven’t cared to notice! Why don’t any of the leaders in the House and Senate fulfill their obligation to the Constitution and the American people? It’s cut and dry Harry. A majority of the body could be swayed to do what is the right and just thing if in fact we had true, UNCOMPROMISED leadership in the Senate. Don’t you think we see that Harry???? If the rumors are true that you, Pelosi, Rockefeller and Conyers had foreknowlege of many of Bush’s crimes and sat on your hands don’t you understand that it will come out eventually??? If the Administration, through it’s illegal wiretapping, is blackmailing you and others as has been suggested, isn’t your complicity in their crimes making things worse for this Nation?. For THIS will come out too Mr. Reid!!!!

Our leaders should not play nice until they have undone all the evil that was forced on the world in the first six years of the Bush disaster. Until they’ve fixed things, they need to be a ruthless as the Republicans were.

Please grow a pair.

Thanks,

Cruz

Here is his reason that immunity for Telecoms pass. ” We tried to stop it ” .

“The sentiment that ex post facto laws are against natural right is so strong in the United States, that few, if any, of the State constitutions have failed to proscribe them. The federal constitution indeed interdicts them in criminal cases only; but they are equally unjust in civil as in criminal cases, and the omission of a caution which would have been right, does not justify the doing what is wrong. Nor ought it to be presumed that the legislature meant to use a phrase in an unjustifiable sense, if by rules of construction it can be ever strained to what is just.” Thomas Jefferson, 1813

I know, I know, it’s reprehensible to even mention anything that Republicans did in pursuit of their “permanent Republican majority,” but in this case, where the very survival of our Fourth Amendment (and others) is at stake, then Democrats, if unsuccessful in stripping this obscene retroactive immunity provision out of this bill, should, in the Senate/House conference committee, strip out retroactive immunity and send the resulting bill to Bush…which no doubt he’ll veto.

Of course, this would rely on Sen. Reid and Rep. Pelosi actually taking their oath seriously to defend our Constitution, and require them putting Democrats on this Senate/House conference committee who would make certain that retroactive immunity would be deleted.

My prediction: Reid and Pelosi will cave, giving into Republican and Blue Dog Democrat demands that the Bush administration and telecom companies get their desperately-desired retroactive immunity, which will open up the door to even more illegal surveillance and wiretapping of U.S. citizens, totally revoking the Fourth Amendment, and turning our nation into a Fascist Police State. (Hell, we’ve already seen what Bush and culture of corruption Republicans did to the Justice Department, so no doubt they’ve done the same to the FISA court, which at one time was created to protect U.S. citizens from such an evil and un-American scenario ever arising).

Here’s a news flash, Harry: How about moving legislation that the majority of AMERICANS wants to go forward? Remember us out here? Ending the war, energy policy, supporting and protecting the Constitution of the U.S., investigation of and prosectution for fraud by no-bid contractors, etc. Any of this sound familiar?

Um, thanks.

PEACE

Live streaming video here.

This isn’t the Filibuster, He’s taking time out of another bill that he has before the floor. But he’s just getting warmed UP! Go Chris GO!

Just the facts Zooey, just the reality.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
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Wow – you just insulted Democrats, Mormons, and women in one post. Why not make fun of black people, too, for the grand slam?

Yes, please. :D

This must not pass.

Then after we are sucessful we can move on to helping the challengers to Hoyer, Pelosi and all of the other enablers!