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Feingold: Fools Rush In (To Amend FISA)
Negotiations continue between the White House and Senate Democrats to overhaul the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and a deal might be done as early as this evening. But Sen. Russell Feingold tells Roll Call (sub.req.) that he'd rather scrap the summer congressional recess than scrap civil liberties in the name of getting a deal done by Monday, when Congress takes a holiday:
Saying Congressional Democrats and Republicans were moving “awfully quickly” on a White House proposal to make it easier to eavesdrop on suspected overseas terrorists, Feingold said he is in “no hurry” to leave town for the August recess.“I don’t feel the need to get out of here. I would much rather stay here than have us make a terrible mistake,” said Feingold, who has made a name for himself as a champion on civil liberties in the Senate. “This is not the kind of thing that should be done on the fly, and I am prepared to stay here as long as it takes to fix it. Or, if they need force this through, I’m not going to make it easy, if they don’t make it better.”
More:
Asked whether he would attempt to filibuster any bill that comes up prior to the Senate’s adjournment for the August recess, Feingold said he would prefer to be able to give his stamp of approval to the measure.“But at the moment I’m feeling a little worried that that isn’t going to be possible,” he said. “It’s not moving in the direction that I’m hoping, but I think it might be moving in the wrong direction, in which case the options have to be potentially utilized.”
Comments (25)
lysias wrote on August 2, 2007 5:20 PM:Individual senators are able to put a hold on bills, aren't they?
I doubt if a bill like this could be passed before the end of the week without using the unanimous consent procedure.
Sojourner wrote on August 2, 2007 5:23 PM:I am happy that someone is paying attention! It seems like there have been too many pieces of legislation pushed through in a hurry in recent years that have not received the required scrutiny to ensure they don't cause bigger problems.
I especially hope that they do not grant the AG the power that the administration wants...
modmom wrote on August 2, 2007 5:24 PM:Sen Feingold is a national treasure. Where are our Dem Candidates on this one?
asdf wrote on August 2, 2007 5:25 PM:Didn't Russ get the memo? Nothing, is more important than those district speeches to the noon Rotary bragging about how important they are. Nothing, not the fate of the country, not the corruption of the government, not even the tiny priority of blocking more fascist recess appointments, there is one thing Democrats and Republicans agree, recess is sacred.
mikem wrote on August 2, 2007 5:26 PM:Just one more good reason to postpone or better yet cancel summer recess for the Senate. The timing of this push by the White House is obviously suspicious. To go slow on this is a no-brainer.
Steve5117 wrote on August 2, 2007 5:37 PM:Josh just posted this at TPM
"Capitol Police officials have stepped up the department’s security presence on Capitol Hill in response to intelligence indicating the increased possibility of an al-Qaida terrorist attack on Congress sometime between now and Sept. 11."
Is the administration trying to influence Congress to get out of town?
oldtree wrote on August 2, 2007 5:42 PM:Thanks Russ, one voice of reason.
Have any other members of the senate called out to stay and be vigilant and thwart the method of traitors instead of going on vacation? the recess appointments are going to end our democracy, but the tickets are booked honey, we will lose our reservations, waaaaa.
bobh wrote on August 2, 2007 5:46 PM:I'm hard. The possibility of a canceled recess makes me hard. And ye, they want the congress GONE...how else is bush going to force through five hundred recess appointments.
Slippery Slope wrote on August 2, 2007 6:08 PM:STOP. LOOK. AND LISTEN.
What do you hear? What do you see?
I hear, I see an Administration using the fear card to start a Congressional stamped over the cliff killing our Constitution.
Slippery Slope wrote on August 2, 2007 6:12 PM:Oppsss... Stampede, not stamped.
As in a heard of bovine running over the cliff for fear of the big, bad wolves.
TheraP wrote on August 2, 2007 8:40 PM:Congress should remain in session - and initiate steps to ensure that there is Constitutional Compliance.
They keep saying there is not time to do certain things. Well, now is the time! They have a month, at the very least.
Thank you Senator Feingold for your steadfastness.
The Oracle wrote on August 2, 2007 8:52 PM:Seems to me like the Administration broke the law, and is trying to CYA by having the Congress legalize the activities they engaged in after the fact.
Once again, where are the Dems?
How many Dem apologists from the Hill are going to explain away this one. More realpolitik, no doubt.
Listen you numbskulls. Have you learned nothing from Bush (nevermind Reagan). People would rather you stood for SOMETHING. The more you try to pander because you "need to" do so to get elected, the less likely it is to happen. Do you need a picture? Here: do what the bloody Republicans would do if Clinton tried to ram this through.
People who have voted Republican in two-digits worth of general elections think this guy is an idiot. If you won't stand up now, when will you?
Sad truth is, Clinton was successful in repositioning the Democratic party as Repub-lites. How sorry this country's politicians have become.
Mark F. wrote on August 2, 2007 9:34 PM:Please: call Senator Feingold's office and tell him what state you're from and thank him for what he's doing. On this issue, we are all constituents of Senator Feingold. Let him know how important this is to all of us. No speeches necessary--just tell him what state you live in and thank him for standing up for the Constitution of the United States of America.
(202) 224-5323
judyinnm wrote on August 3, 2007 12:31 AM:Anem, MARK F. What you said.
bjobotts wrote on August 3, 2007 2:03 AM:Look at what happened when they didn't take enough time to thoroughly go over the patriot act.
One thing for sure with this administration is that if they are in a hurry to get something through congress then something is in there they do not want you to deliberate on. You may not see it at first, in fact they made try to add it in unnoticed at the last minute hoping that in all the haste it would not be seen.
Also, as has been noted earlier, it will be seen that the WH has been operating an illegal program that would not be illegal anymore with the passage of this bill. Perhaps this bill is to cover their ass.
It could have been introduced much earlier to give enough time to study it's language and meaning, so the delay is because it was introduced at the last minute leaving it's final version openn to ambush,(just like the patriot act included a last minute amendment to appoint USAs without senate approval with no prior knowledge or notification given to the signers of this Act).
There is great reason to be suspicious of those trying to rush this legislation through based on the realities of our recent history involving spying and eaves dropping which is still being denied oversight or accountability. Buyer beware!
bjobotts wrote on August 3, 2007 3:05 AM:CAPITOL HILL TERRORIST THREAT= = =
THE REICHSTAG FIRES= = =
CATASTROPHIC UNITARY DIRECTIVE = = =
CONGRESSIONAL RESTRUCTURING= = =
EMERGENCY APPOINTMENTS
hauksdottir wrote on August 3, 2007 4:01 AM:but i know something that they don't...best laid plans of mice and men...
Living in fear of my president, I truly hope it's just a coincidence, truly.
If your child sneaks into the toy store, paints mustaches on the puppets and steals the train set, then lies, stamps his little boots, and threatens a tantrum... do you then reward the child by giving him more toys?
NO!
You put the brat on probation in a corner with no toys until he learns honesty and property rights and how to play well with others.
Why is Congress settling for lies? For defiance? Why are they willing to give Cheney and Bush and Gonzales even more secret powers... when they all deserve IMPEACHMENT and removal from office?
Please don't recess this summer!
Bush will appoint even more corrupt cronies. Spend those weeks investigating the many crimes of this Administration, starting with Gonzales (you must clean up DoJ first), then pulling Cheney out of his hidey hole under the Naval Observatory, and finally nailing Bush for War Crimes.
This is your DUTY as members of Congress!
Nothing else, not even the budget, is as important as restoring the Rule of Law.
If our forebears could risk their lives and freedom to establish a nation ruled by laws rather than the whim of a king, surely Congress can give up vacation in order to maintain that form of government!
patriot wrote on August 3, 2007 7:49 AM:My email to Sen. Feingold:
Thank you for standing up, once again for America on FISA - Congress must not recess. Reid's staff told Firedoglake poster that he has no plans for a skeleten crew to prevent recess appointments.
I just wrote to Reid again to resign since he has been unwilling to act as the Democratic Leader of the Senate needs to during this crises in our country.
What can citizens do to force the bush enablers pelosi and reid to step down. They have enabled bush every step of the way for so many years and the voters who voted democrats in did not vote for AIPAC pelosi and cowardly reid - a number of people have asked this question on blogs and no one seems to know what citizens can do to recall the traitors pelosi and reid.
the anon poster on tpm has strongly stated that congress is liable for the torture, violations of Geneva conventions, genocide and the signing away of our system of government by signing the original unpatriot act without reading it and the subsequent cheney acts legally turning the USA
into a dictatorship.
Getting real leaders into our Congress is why the Democrats won by such amazing margins that rove was not able to steal enough votes to stop this revolution - we cannot wait until 2008 and I admire your not running for President after watching the sickening antics of hillary and obama while our country goes down the drain, the genocide on iraq continues unabated and our military is destroyed.
Please lead an effort to oust the cowardly Vichy "leaders". We need the representatives of courage, like yourself, to step into the leadership positions and I think you understand just how many people would support this to save our country.
We fed up with excuses reid and pelosi must step down.
MY EMAIL TO REID:
http://reid.senate.gov/
If you can't act as the Democratic LEADER at least try to ACT like an American and cancel the Senate recess - our country is in a crises. You really should step down. I hope that you are found legally liable for the treason, torture and mass murder of the bush regime which you enabled.
DO NOT GIVE BUSHINC ANY MORE POWER!!
FEINGOLD NEEDS TO BE THE DEMOCRATIC LEADER AND YOU MUST STAND
DOWN SINCE YOU ARE UNWILLING OR UNABLE TO DO YOUR JOB.
codeword: SNAKE
hope4usa wrote on August 3, 2007 9:18 AM:Senator Feingold,
hope4usa wrote on August 3, 2007 9:19 AM:All I ask, since we can't read this bill ourselves, is that someone reads it and Senator Specter doesn't get his filthy hands on it afterword. Make sure every word is EXACTlY and ONLY what you think it is. Please.
Senator Feingold,
TheraP wrote on August 3, 2007 12:28 PM:All I ask, since we can't read this bill ourselves, is that someone reads it and Senator Specter doesn't get his filthy hands on it afterword. Make sure every word is EXACTlY and ONLY what you think it is. Please.
Just phone Feingold's office.
Told them either postpone Recess or Postpone legislation.
This is too important to rush through.
Click my name for longer post.
chabuka wrote on August 3, 2007 1:09 PM:This is crazy...only one Senator cares about the Constitution?....only one Senator cares about the people...? What country are we living in....?
parrot wrote on August 3, 2007 5:11 PM:Maybe there is only one Senator left who is not subject to the blackmail of the illegal spying by the Busheviks.
Moondancer wrote on August 3, 2007 5:14 PM:Senator Feingold is one of the few in Washington who isn't making me crazy. I am thankful every day to live in WI and have him as a Senator. Even when he takes positions I don't agree with (which is rare) he uses sound judgement and fully explains the rational behind each decision. With more representatives like Feingold we might start believing we live in a democracy.
Security code step, as in step above the rest
Erik Larson wrote on August 4, 2007 12:37 AM:This piece of shit Republocrat Congress needs to be impeaching the unelected treasonouse 9/11 war criminals for warrantless spying and all their other crimes, not legalizing their program for monitoring political dissidents. The Bullshit Administration won't comply with subpoenas, Bullshit's DoJ has been ordered to not enforce contempt citations, and these spineless piece of shit Democrats are giving these criminals even more power. Incredible. Bush and Cheney are sociopaths, what's their excuse? They will live in infamy and burn in hell.