Between the vote at 4:30 for FISA, Kucinich's attempt to file impeachment articles in the House before the SOTU at around 9 (I think), this could be one of the more interesting days on CSPAN we've ever seen.

Why is it that Bush can veto bills which don't contain the EXACT PROVISIONS HE DEMANDS and yet its considered a failing of Congress? Did this get reported the same way when Clinton was President? I doubt it.

Let him veto the bill. Then Pelosi and Reid can say he vetoed the same bill he signed 6 months ago and is, in Bush's own words, putting American lives at risk in doing so.

The dems are being played for fools. Play the press game and let the bill expire. The original fisa law was perfectly fine for over 20 years AND, they got the intercepts about 9/11 before the attacks but didn't have enough translators. Kinda sounds like the pearl harbor problem. Let the old fisa bill expire and pass a bill madating the hiring of a couple of hundred arab speaking translators. That would shove it up the king's flag pole hole.

Why doesn't Reid grow a pair and just tell them "Fine. Have it your way, but we won't be voting on any more FISA bills at all."

It isn't hard. He has the power, but he and the other chickenheart Democrats refuse to use the power they have. Why? Because they don't really believe in what they're doing, they have no balls and they are not worthy of the offices they hold. Cowards all.

Let the "Jack-booted Right to Wire-tap with Immunity" lapse.

Repeal both PATRIOT Acts and the Military Commissions Act.

America is a democratic republic, not a fascist plutocracy.

well, if you have "no idea" what will happen you really have not been watching the play the past 7 years or so. The Dems, sadly, will fold like a cheap lawn chair.

I second the punctuation complaint. Improper apostrophe use is ever-more rampant. At least he didn't use an apostrophe to indicate a PLURAL (or did he?), as in trailer park culture usage.

This is not a small matter. Degradation of language indicates degradation of thought. If you can't punctuate, you can't think.

I understand how hard it is to punish a Bush-Dem Senator, particularly one who isn't up for reelection this year. But we must highlight each of them in their home state media, complain to their Democratic State Committees, and contact their offices both in Washington and their home states. Complain, threaten, promise not to contribute to any Democrat in the state in this years elections, and just generally raise hell.

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but these are the weapons a democracy gives to each voter. Use 'em or lose 'em. It's that simple.

I'm sure that Barack Obama, Professor of Constitutional Law, will, having personally witnessed the destruction of the Constitution under the Bush administration, not merely vote No, but lend his considerable oratorical skills to the Dodd filibuster, thereby showing political courage where it really counts. Not.

I'm not holding my breath.

Paul:

Not to pick nits, but FYI:

It's is a contraction. Its is not.

"It's a poor speller indeed who can only come up with a single spelling for a word."

-- Andrew Jackson

Well, I called both my senators to urge them to show some courage and stand up for the rule of law. But their names are Shelby and Sessions, so I think I might as well have phoned for that almost-as-loyal lap dog named Barney and asked him to oppose the President. Really, I think Barney has more cognitive power and capacity for independent thought than either of our two Alabama clowns.

Should Pennsylvania Senate/House members vote for cloture or immunity I will vote for any democrat that opposes them in the next election.

Glaringly missing from all the debate are disclosures about the illegal eavesdropping.

Why are we told laws were broken, yet we lack the details?

Worse still, are lawmakers asked to pass laws without now the truth too?

All this has the hallmarks of one branch of government being a junta, unresponsive to its Constitutional duties and responsibilities.

Remember : the ONLY reason for wiretaps is to eavesdrop on political opponents.

Sure, for the first five minutes, they say they want to listen in on 'terrorists'. Then they tune in to political opponents.

Let's not be naive, colleagues.

Watching CSPAN2 and McConnell(R-KY) is talking and basically saying Bush's point's re 'stimulus bill' and 'FISA'; these guy is such a fact falsifier it's ludicrous.
BUT why is the media -including tpm- ignoring this:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5583

This shows how corrupt and ethically challenged- besides being treasonous- those elected have become.

Spector(R-PA)is objecting to cloture vote as such would make his and Whitehouse(d-NY) amendment not 'germane'(it basically substitutes the gummint for the telecom's and strips gummint immunity is such cases.)
He's pissed big time that the amendment was ruled 'germane'.

Cornyn(r-TX) just impaled himself on his own petard by pointing to the Pelosi/Boehner/Bush stimulus agreement as an example of 'bi-partisanship- seemingly not recognizing that the House FISA update included NO IMMUNITY for the telecom's; wonder if anyone will call him on it.

Freda, John H. Farr, and Bobby Spellchecker: And I thought I was the only grammar cop on the beat around here. Nice to know there is a whole squad!

And Walrus: I agree with you. The GOP had 40 years to learn how to play as the minority party, and they have perfected the art. I hope the Dems are taking notes so that the next time they find themselves in that position (and there will certainly be a next time at some point), they'll know how the game is supposed to be played.

But at the same time, Democrats need to be making more noise about what the Republicans are doing to make it clear who it is that is gumming up the legislative works. Republicans should be made to pay a price for it at the polls -- that's the other lesson the Dems need to learn from the GOP. They sure screamed "obstructionist" loud enough whenever the Dems even thought about filibustering bills.