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McJoan has the news on the FISA victory today. It's a bit hard to describe just how much work this took and how significant a change this represents. I never believed we had a chance to stop immunity for telecom companies, I thought it was a fight worth having anyway. But something has shifted in the last few weeks that suggest this Congress is willing to stand up to Bush.
There were always two leverage points for the right on this one. First of all, the fake deadline that would leave our country vulnerable was trotted out as an excuse for expanding wiretapping authority and immunizing telecoms. I had private assurances from senior Democrats that they would make sure that the country fixed this vulnerability before the temporary FISA fix expired in August. Amazingly, the House was willing to let the bill lapse and go back to the 1978 FISA law, and called out the dishonest characterization instead of knuckling under to Bush. Second of all, 21 Bush Dogs wrote a letter asking to pass immunity for telecom companies. Those Bush Dogs create a pro-immunity majority, which gave pro-immunity Rockefeller all the leverage in House-Senate negotiations.
The Republican House secret session nonsense, combined with the amazing organizing by the ACLU and Glenn Greenwald, Jane Hamsher, Marcy Wheeler and Christie Hardin Smith and good leadership by Pelosi, Conyers, and Hoyer, and some bravery by House freshman Nancy Boyda, brought the Bush Dogs away from their position. An intelligent compromise - that phone companies would be allowed to submit evidence in court despite state secret arguments from the President rather than getting blanket immunity - allowed the Bush Dogs to vote for national security instead of the telecoms.
Here are the Bush Dogs that voted correctly on the FISA bill today (h/t Marcy Wheeler).
Congressman Joe Baca (D-California) http://www.house.gov/baca/
Congressman John Barrow (D-Georgia) http://barrow.house.gov/
Congresswoman Melissa Bean (D-Illinois) http://www.house.gov/bean/
Congressman Marion Berry (D-Arkansas) http://www.house.gov/berry/
Congressman Leonard L. Boswell (D-Iowa) http://boswell.house.gov/
Congressman Allen Boyd (D-Florida) http://www.house.gov/boyd/
Congressman Brad Ellsworth (D-Indiana) http://www.ellsworth.house.gov/
Congressman Jim Matheson, (D-Utah) http://www.house.gov/matheson/
Congressman Charlie Melancon (D-Louisiana) http://www.melancon.house.gov/
Congressman Dennis Moore (D-Kansas) http://www.moore.house.gov/
Congressman Earl Pomeroy (D-North Dakota) http://www.pomeroy.house.gov/
Congressman Mike Ross (D-Arkansas) http://ross.house.gov/
Congressman Zack Space (D-Ohio) http://space.house.gov/
Congressman John Tanner (D-Tennessee) http://www.house.gov/tanner/
Heath Shuler and Chris Carney did their usual Bush enabling. I will have more soon on the amazing victory this vote represents. Democrats do not and have not stood up to Bush and the right-wing on national security, ever. Only this time, they did. And it looks like it might just become a habit. Immediately after the vote, a slew of Democrats running for office issued statements on the vote and at least one referenced Bill Foster's victory. There's nothing stronger in politics than running on an issue, and that's what is happening right now.
Congratulations to all involved. And to the 400 people who gave some cash to Bill Foster, and to the many others who volunteered to get him elected, kudos to you. Elections have consequences.
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