Comments (13)

Christy wrote on January 30, 2008 11:14 AM:

He WILL sell out, never fear. Spineless means spineless. What part of that don't you understand?

phil james wrote on January 30, 2008 11:16 AM:

It will require Harry to do some real arm-twisting to get Feingold and Dodd to agree to some fig-leaf amendment that makes it appear they succesfully thwarted it but still gets telecom immunity passed regardless. But I have the utmost faith in our current Bush-water carrier...errr...Democratic leader.

oldtree wrote on January 30, 2008 11:18 AM:

You know it comes to mind that someone like Russ would be a lot better spokesperson than someone that has lied to us and is bought by the telecom industry. Mr. Reid takes a considerable amount of money from TPC doesn't he?

Dennis wrote on January 30, 2008 11:45 AM:

If it's already gotton this far, retro active immunity for the telecom industry is a done deal. Just watch. The onus will be shifted away from the telecom industry to the American government and that will be the end of it.

The lies about bankrupting the telecom industry are just that, lies.

If there has been no wrong doing, then what's the problem? There's a body somewhere.

You don't have to be a blind conservative not to see it, just an ignorant one to deny it.

KilgoreTrout XL wrote on January 30, 2008 11:54 AM:

I just emailed Reid again, thanking him for taking Dodd's position into account but asking him to go one step further and actually heeding that advice.

We'll be able to see how little difference one person can make in just a few hours!

America! F**k yeah!

SC Independent wrote on January 30, 2008 12:09 PM:

Is it too obvious none of us trust Harry Reid anymore?

NCBlueneck wrote on January 30, 2008 1:15 PM:

"Accountability is off the table." --Hairy Peloozer (D-Uh)

nz wrote on January 30, 2008 1:38 PM:

what is really the point here? i have a hard time believing it will be all that good for the country to have a bunch of telecom execs spending time in jail. On the other hand, It will be very good for the country if the truth comes out about what this administration asked them to do. obviously if they are given immunity before they talk we will never get to the bottom of this.

but there has to be room here for a compromise of some sort.

KilgoreTrout XL wrote on January 30, 2008 1:50 PM:

NZ: Your statement regarding telecom execs is wrong on several different levels, but I'll focus on just one: People who break laws go to jail, regardless of who they are. That you would show lenience for a rich corporate executive smacks of elitism.

Besides, the crimes we're talking about are so far-reaching that the perpetrators are much more culpable than your typical criminal. And if they aren't punished, these actions will continue.

The only compromise is not to spy on innocent American citizens.

Patience wrote on January 30, 2008 1:55 PM:

The CQ article on wiretaps against author and U.S. citizen Lawrence Wright is worth checking out...

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=2&docID=hsnews-000002661145

Larry Simpson wrote on January 30, 2008 2:16 PM:

I have a modest proposal to address the question of telecom immunity. Why not have the so far invisible CEO's of Verizon and AT&T come to a Congressional hearing and testify under oath on their reasons why their companies broke the law. This would personalize and humanize a so far anonymous situation for many people. I recall the moral midget CEOs of the tobacco companies testifying under oath that tobacco is not harmful and nicotine is not addictive.

Saul B. Wilen wrote on January 30, 2008 2:24 PM:

There is still time for Senators like Russ Finegold to mount a REAL filibuster and stop the present "Domestic Spying Law" from passing or being extended. The present bad law from August expires Feb. 1. The new version being debated is worse and further guts the Constitution and America's Democracy. A filibuster by the Democrats (even if it's only one Senator with courage) can make this happen. A new law that balances the rights of Americans with the security needs of America can be written and passed.

President Bush is depending on this new law to shield him and his administration, and the telecommunications companies from any prosecution for their past illegal actions. Their motivations are clearly that simple. TELL YOUR SENATORS THAT AMERICANS WILL NOT TOLERATE OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE AND ILLEGAL ACTS. TELL YOUR SENATOR TO FILIBUSTER THIS "DOMESTIC SPYING LAW."

phil james wrote on January 30, 2008 3:37 PM:

If the U.S. government is NOT allowed to listen in on, and record, every word of every communication between every man, woman, and child in the U.S. and every other man, woman, and child in the U.S., or in any other nation in the world, then the terrorists have won. If we don't agree to universal, unqualified, unreviewed, unadjudicated wiretapping by the Federal government, then what the hell do we have a government for? We might as well surrender to the Islamo-fascists right now. What we need to do at this point is go back in time and universally UNknow what we now know about what the government is doing; in which case we can go about our business without all this blather about privacy rights and big brother and political evesdropping. When we were ignorant about these things we were much happier as a people.