At least for now, it's looking like the house dems are standing up on retroactive immunity. They are now proposing a compromise that maintains liability of the telecoms, but enables them to have their trials behind closed doors.
I wonder if holding secret trials might be partially undermining the ability to actually conduct oversight of the president, but this seems like a good effort on their part--they haven't surrendered the principle that the telecoms be held accountable, and they have offered a compromise now that is still unpalatable to the President.
I am sincerely still shocked at the ability of the house to stand firm on this, especially after how casually the Senate gave up. That is still looking like our biggest problem. From the above article:
Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid yesterday called the House Democrats' proposal "a tremendous step forward," but an aide said the Nevada Democrat is not planning to take it to the floor soon. "Since Republicans have refused to participate in the negotiations that led to this bill, it seems unlikely to achieve 60 votes in the Senate," Reid spokesman Jim Manley said. "Republicans should stop playing games on this important issue."
Come on, Harry. You don't have to be afraid of Bush any more. Stand firm. Make him veto this, and explain to the American people how the telecom's cash is worth more than the common person's privacy. Please.
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