FISA Update
Apparently, Reid has brokered a Unanimous Consent agreement that everyone, from Feingold and Dodd to Jeff "Mutual Defense" Sessions, have bought off on.
Using cboldt's rough draft of what we've got, here are which amendments remain under consideration and how many votes they need to pass:Four amendments will pass automatically, with the adoption of the Unanimous Consent agreement.
Feingold 3909 as modified
Emptywheel's Famous Football Trash Talk* Super Bowl XLII Edition
Show Time Baby! The big one is upon us. Whats up with Tom's boot? That Giselle is kinda cute. Michael Strahan is a hoot. It is all happening right here in the Valley of the Sun; and currently Valley of the unusually cold. But the sun is shining, the stars are all here and everybody is working to the weekend. Beer thirty is going to start now and go until the fat lady is done singing. Crack open a cool one and start trashing up the joint.
Dick's Evolving Demands for Immunity
Thanks to Faiz, who watches Rush, so I don't have to.
Once again, the Administration has trotted out Dick to lobby for immunity for himself telecom immunity. All the things I said last week about the inappropriateness of sending the guy who would most directly benefit from immunity out to lobby for it still hold.
AG Claims Clear Evidence of Legal Liability Does Not Constitute a Basis for Investigation
AG Mukasey claims that DOJ has never gotten any facts that would warrant an investigation. But that's not true. We know DOJ received the results of the CIA IG's report in 2004, showing that the interrogation techniques depicted on the torture tapes constituted cruel and inhuman treatment in violation of the International Convention against Torture.
Did Eric Edelman Lie to the Plame Grand Jury?
This filing I stumbled across in Prettyman courthouse suggests there were big contradictions between Eric Edelman (then Libby's deputy, and currently the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy)'s testimony, and that of other witnesses in the case. If Edelman is lying, it might corroborate my theory that Dick learned of Plame's identity from having been shown--via an illicity channel--the emails Valerie wrote relating to Joe's trip.
Yet More Communications Dirty Business: Karl Rove and Philip Zelikow
Not only does Karl Rove have a penchant for losing--even deleting--emails. But apparently he carried on back-channel communications with Karl Rove for much of the period of the 9/11 Commission's investigation.
SJC Mukasey Hearing, Four
Ben Cardin, Pat Leahy, and Sheldon Whitehouse question Mukasey.
SJC Mukasey Hearing, Part Three
Arlen Specter, Chuck Grassley, Chuck Schumer, John Cornyn, Pat Leahy, and Sheldon Whitehouse question Mukasey (beginning of second round).
SJC Mukasey Hearing, Part Two
Dianne Feinstein, Dick Durbin, Orrin Hatch, and Russ Feingold question Mukasey.
SJC Mukasey Hearing
Arlen Specter, Chuck Grassley, Herb Kohl, Jeff Sessions, Joe Biden, Pat Leahy, Sam Brownback, and Ted Kennedy question Mukasey.
Not Just Immunity
In his meeting with some DFH bloggers yesterday, Russ Feingold made a point I've been pushing for some time: we need to be as worried about the other aspects of the FISA bill, particularly whether it protects US person data and US persons traveling overseas, as much as we need to worry about immunity. And while I'm not optimistic that we'll win the immunity battle, I wonder whether we can poison the bill by attending to those other issues.
For Fear Of Fear - Part One
It has been an exciting and fascinating two days, yesterday and today. It has been the best and worst of American democracy in action. The thrill of victory in stopping the contemptible SSCI bill with telco immunity yesterday, and the defeat today in extending the similarly contemptible Protect America Act.
Chuck Schumer: We Will Fix the Bankruptcy Bill
We just had a panel on economic issues, with Byron Dorgan, Chuck Schumer, and Sherrod Brown. It took until the last question--mine--for anyone to bring up the Bankruptcy Bill.
From these three Senators, there was little dispute: the Bankruptcy Bill was a bad bill and it needed to be fixed. There was also the recognition that the part of the bill that pertained to protecting houses had exacerbated the foreclosure crisis.
That's
Reid Thanks Christy and McJoan on FISA
I'm at a schmoozy event at the Senate today--Harry Reid gave an opening speech focusing on the areas where progressive loud mouths have really helped out the Senate.
He spoke for a bit about FISA--repeating what he has said publicly (that if the Republicans won't accept a PAA extension, then it will expire).
The Jeff Sessions-BushCo Mutual Protection Racket
Jeff Sessions is helping the Administration evade the Presidential Records Act. That shouldn't be a surprise, though, because Sessions and the Administration have been protecting each other for some time.
Was It Her Colleagues, or Her Constituents?
Did Hillary return because her colleagues asked her, or because her constituents asked her?
Bush Would Forgo New FISA Programs to Make Sure Dick Gets Immunity
Bush says he wants a new FISA bill, and he wants it now.
The White House told Democratic congressional leaders Saturday that President Bush opposes a 30-day extension of an expiring eavesdropping law and instead wants an expanded version to be passed by Friday.
“The president would veto a 30-day extension,” a senior administration official said.
Mukasey, Orwell, and Bradbury
Keith Olbermann notes, with great dismay, that Michael Mukasey chose to hang a portrait of George Orwell in his office (the other portrait is Chief Justice Robert Jackson, which makes me quite happy). I'm willing to take Mukasey's word that he admires Orwell for his writing (and his thoughts on language). Yet I don't know how to square that with Mukasey's endorsement of the Bradbury renomination.
Bush's Secret Cyber Initiative
I'm all for being more proactive about protecting our country from cyber-attack. But I get really uncomfortable when Bush signs off on such plans in secret, particularly when the details suggest the plan is inadequate and has too little oversight.
How to Lead: Chris Dodd Edition
While Hillary and Obama were leaving the work of legislating to others, Chris Dodd stepped up to lay out the stakes for the FISA debate. Senators are not entitled to see their amendments pass. But they are entitled to this: a good-faith debate, honest criticism, and, ultimately, a vote. Last night, they didn’t get it.
