Chris Dodd delivers one of the most compelling and inspired speech for STOPPING THE FISA BILL

[Segami]

It will be interesting to watch what the final outcome of this Bill will become and who will support it.


Chris Dodd went to the Senate floor last night to speak against the FISA bill and delivered one of the most compelling and inspired speeches by a prominent politician that I've heard in quite some time. He tied the core corruption of the FISA bill's telecom amnesty and warranltess eavesdropping provisions into the whole litany of the Bush administration's lawless and destructive behavior over the last seven years -- from torture and rendition to the abuse of secrecy instruments and Guantanamo mock trials -- with a focus on the way in which telecom amnesty further demolishes the rule of law among our political class.

That speech signals that the small minority in the Senate devoted to stopping this bill have made this a priority. Small, vocal, passionate minorities in the Senate -- backed up by vocal, passionate and engaged citizens -- can do much to prevent a bill's quick and painless passage. Dodd's speech can be seen and/or read here. I highly recommend it, and if I had one wish this week, it would be that any journalist who will ever write or utter the words "FISA," "telecom immunity" or "Terrorism" would be forced to watch this speech from start to finish without distraction."


http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/06/25/dodd/

[Junkdrawer]

1. K&R

[BrklynLib at work]

2. I certainly hope that Sen Dodd has an important part in the Obama administration

[Segami]

4. I certainly hope so too!

[madokie]

5. So do I

I listened to him last night and he sure can put in words what I want to hear and its coming from his heart not just empty words to get a vote as so many of the congress critters are want to do. Chris Dodd is the real thing, no doubt about it.

[patrice]

7. I agree; Dodd is the Real thing. This is what we need in our Democrats. Authenticity.

You can smell the lack of it a mile away, no matter what party label they're wearing.

[lonestarnot]

10. On that banking relationship.

Do you think he's cured?

[Junkdrawer]

3. Video and transcript:

http://dodd.senate.gov/index.php?q=node/4476

[Inuca]

6. I saw most of it last night

passionate and sad at the same time. I am glad to see that it is mentioned in the media, it was tour de force.

[Segami]

8. Why aren't the media covering the REAL pending issues attached to the FISA Bill as Dodd layed out

in his speech? Its is clear that there are other circling dynamics at play here in a rush to push this Bill through.


" while negotiations over the bill occurred in total secrecy, with civil liberties groups and the public at large being completely excluded, Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer "negotiated" directly with the telecoms over how the telecoms' amnesty bill should be written.

Telecoms broke our surveillance laws, and then our Democratic Congressional leaders ran to them to take instructions on how to write the special law to protect them, and they didn't even really bother to hide that. Politico reported last month that "telecom companies have presented congressional Democrats with a set of proposals on how to provide immunity." And the Pelosi-glorifying article in Time this week revealed that it was the telecoms themselves -- as key participants in the secret negotiations -- which fed Pelosi the bill's current amnesty provisions:

In negotiations with Pelosi's office, the telecoms offered a compromise: Let a judge decide if the letters they received from the Administration asking for their help show that the government was really after terrorist suspects and not innocent Americans.
If you break the law, you're going to be hauled into court and prosecuted. But if telecoms break the law, Nancy Pelosi, Jay Rockefeller, and Steny Hoyer will go to them and "negotiate" over what's acceptable to the lawbreaking telecoms in terms of how they'll receive amnesty.

[1776Forever]

9. Malloy had some of this on his show last night - It was awesome!!

:patriot: Thank you Sen. Dodd!

[bdamomma]

11. Dodd was on the floor of the Senate last nite spilling his guts

to save the Constitution, almost like Dennis when he introduced the 35 Articles of Impeachment. I hope these Senators wake the hell up and stop this.

[Segami]

12. I wonder just how hard of a ' Slap to these Senators Pointy Heads '

will it take to ' awaken & nudge ' them from their lucid sleep?

[SeaLyons]

13. K&R

:kick:

[Hydra]

14. This may be Dodd's Cicero moment

And he may well get his tongue nailed above the door to the Senate.

I'm glad someone dared to speak most of the truth. He did let Bush slide about the fact that the spying was being done before 9/11, despite the reference to Qwest. Regardless, he dared to do it- Calling Bush out for attempting to be above the law.

Bravo.

[Segami]

16. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Light is the best disinfectant in politics.

[Papa Boule]

15. If nothing else he warmed the potato they're holding

If it can only be made hot enough.