Obama Comes Out Against Telecom Immunity Bill

[jefferson_dem]

Right on, Barack!!

Obama Comes Out Against Telecom Immunity Bill
By Greg Sargent - October 18, 2007, 7:18PM

Barack Obama's campaign has just sent us a statement condemning the deal that the Senate intel committee reportedly reached with the White House granting retroactive immunity to the telecoms in the Senate's FISA renewal bill:

“I have consistently opposed this Administration's efforts to use debates about our national security to expand its own power, whether that was on the Iraq war, or on its power grab to curb our civil liberties through domestic surveillance programs. It is time to restore oversight and accountability in the FISA program, and this proposal -- with an unprecedented grant of retroactive immunity -- is not the place to start.”

Earlier today Chris Dodd said he'd put a hold on the bill, raising questions about where the other Senator-candidates would come down on this. We now have Obama's answer -- against.

http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2007/10/obama_comes_out_a...

***

Where the supposed "front-runner" on this issue, I wonder.

[msongs]

1. following the leader...good for him nt

[rinsd]

2. OMG Obama got his answer in faster than Clinton

Though of course neither really led on this issue.

That honor goes to Dodd.

[jefferson_dem]

4. I think the pressure is building on Wolfson to draft something up quick for Hillary.

Watch for it...

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. Someone in the Obama campaign...

Needs to be replaced. He has got to start being out in front on some of these issues, rather than taking a reactive stance, waiting to see how something is playing out, then coming down on the popular side.

[jefferson_dem]

5. Whatever.

Save the outrage. He comes out on the right side of the issue within a couple hours of any movement. That's a good thing.

[msongs]

10. yep, being a follower instead of a leader is good enough nt

[superkia]

14. Its better than being a leader that leads us in the wrong direction.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

11. Perhaps you are missing the point:

If he wants to be a leader, then he has to LEAD. From the front. Too often he has stood back, just long enough to test the wind, then jumped in with a carefully worded statement. I suspect he is doing so because someone in his campaign, who has great influence over him, is advising him to hold his fire.

Not good.

Sometimes audacity wins the day and the campaign. Dodd has shown that it definitely wins the day.

He cannot campaign for President like he was running for senator from Illinois.

I might add that he is NOT the only candidate guilty of such behavior. It just seems like he does this a bit more.

[jefferson_dem]

12. Awww...he was only the second Dem candidate to speak out on this particular issue.

Absolute purity is hard to come by.

I do give credit to Dodd for being the first to make a public move, by the way.

To say Obama is more guilty - less "audacious" - than the other candidates is silly, at the very least.

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5132

[CTuttle]

6. Well, there are five Senate Dems opposed to the FISA fix...

Dodd, Obama, Leahy, Whitehouse, and, Feingold!!! I sincerely hope a lot more confront DiFi, Reid, and Rockefeller about this bullshit Bipartisan agreement...!!!

[Adelante]

7. I'm glad

I am very glad to hear it. Thanks.

[ShortnFiery]

8. That's excellent news!

[Bitwit1234]

9. Oh is he going to come out against it then sit on the fence when they

vote. You know like he did with the Kyl-Liberman bill.

[jefferson_dem]

13. The same bill Hillary voted for...and Obama opposed?

n/t

[sampsonblk]

15. What a dud

I thought he actually came out against it. This is just a political statement - and a weak one at that.