The Right State

The Senate is set to pass a renewal of the FISA law, which has also been called the Warrantless Wiretapping Law.  For years Democrats have blocked its passage for a number of spurious reasons: the law is too broad giving the President too much power to tap phones, all wiretaps must go through the FISA courts first, the law allows the government to spy on the American people, the law gives the phone companies immunity from lawsuits for cooperating with the government, and a number of other bogus reasons.  The ultra-liberal John D. Rockefeller is a big backer of this law.  So what changed in this law from other previous attempts—nothing significant.  

This may be the most important bill we pass this year,” said Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), an architect of the bill crafted over four months of negotiations between congressional leaders and the White House.

If this bill were as important as the Senator says, why did they wait so long?  The answer is simple—politics.  But don’t think all liberals are folding as easy as Rockefeller.  Senators Feingold and Dodd are not going away quietly.  And the liberal Netroots organization is not happy with their fellow Dems either, especially Barack Obama.  

The FISA debate marks the presumptive Democratic nominee’s first serious break from the liberal Netroots in the general election. He is still their candidate, but the FISA issue has reignited skepticism among major bloggers, who had largely pushed aside doubts about Obama when Edwards, their favored candidate, ended his bid in February.

…

Obama’s decision to support the bill with the immunity provision was not surprising, she said. Republicans frame critics of such security measures as soft on terrorism, and the presumptive Democratic nominee probably does not want it used against him.

Obama is a typical politician, he supports bills he not normally vote for because of politics.  Typical, but at least the bill looks like it will pass.  It will pass years too late, but at least it will pass.

On a positive note many Dems are about as happy with Barak Obama as Republicans are with John McCain.

Still, the disillusionment goes only so far. The liberal blogosphere’s most recognizable name, Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, founder of Daily Kos, said Monday on MSNBC’s “Countdown With Keith Olbermann”: “Let’s be honest, it is either Obama or John McCain. So we really don’t have much of a choice.”

It aught to be an interesting election.

Tags: Democrats //