Certainly if he were to make a strong a statement now against the bill as he made before, he could line up additional support for a filibuster.

Posted at July 3, 2008 9:15 PM in response to A Time-line Of Obama's Statements On FISA

When it comes to that, how do I know that Obama is not going to cave in to the right when it comes to appointing judges as well?

Posted at July 3, 2008 9:08 PM in response to A Time-line Of Obama's Statements On FISA

I guess you'd better hope that Obama is president for life, then.

But just for kicks: when was it that we firmly established that the president was above the law? Because the last I remember, the Supreme Court kept handing him his hat regarding the detentions of "illegal combatants".

Posted at July 3, 2008 9:03 PM in response to A Time-line Of Obama's Statements On FISA

Sweetheart, I imagine I have seen at least as many elections as you have, and maybe even a few more. In any case, my experience with them goes to way back before George W. Bush (the last two elections). Hey, I was voting long before even his daddy was president. So stop with the condescension already.

Do you not know that the corporate media will go after Obama every single day between now and November no matter what? So he may as well do the right thing. And we may as well go ahead and say what needs to be said. I am not going to let fear of the MSM keep me from speaking my mind.

Posted at July 3, 2008 8:54 PM in response to A Time-line Of Obama's Statements On FISA

So if we want to protect our privacy, then we should give up, in addition to phone service, e-mail, use of the Internet, use of credit cards, the use of bank accounts, and the use of libraries, just for starters. Only then can we demand that our elected representatives stick to their oath to defend the Constitution "against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

Tricky part is, I'm not sure how you are then supposed to go about contacting them.

Posted at July 3, 2008 8:40 PM in response to A Time-line Of Obama's Statements On FISA

The problem is, you cannot sue the government. And they are not going to prosecute themselves for breaking the law.

We need to know just what sort of surveillance was going on. And the only prayer we have of getting at least a little of that information is for the suits in which (by fortunate mishap) standing for the plaintiffs was established to go forward and thereby force the telecoms to produce documents.

Posted at July 3, 2008 8:31 PM in response to A Time-line Of Obama's Statements On FISA

So -- a demand for principled leadership and the rule of law is a vote for McCain?

Posted at July 3, 2008 8:17 PM in response to A Time-line Of Obama's Statements On FISA

those who aren't anti-Obama on this issue are apparently filled with "blind love".

Well, see, there you go again, assuming that anyone who disagrees with you on the FISA issue is automatically "anti-Obama".

Is it really too much to ask that he be the same Obama that he was just a few short months ago? Or, at least, the same Obama he was projecting himself to be a few short months ago.

You know, I object to the term "PUMA" being tossed at anyone who dares to try to hold Obama accountable on this (or any other) issue. And I also object to the really insulting attitude that goes something like this: "If you don't agree with everything that Obama says and does, then you are obviously just a troll, you're obviously a McCain supporter, you're obviously not going to vote for Obama anyway, so why don't you just leave now, and by the way, don't let the door hit you in the butt on the way out."

Why don't you try answering people's arguments rather than calling them names?

Posted at July 3, 2008 7:59 PM in response to A Time-line Of Obama's Statements On FISA

Not to mention that Senators rarely oppose a nominee who is/was a Senate colleague.

Posted at July 3, 2008 7:44 PM in response to A Time-line Of Obama's Statements On FISA

And, of course, in January of 2009, you will be asked to back off to allow him a little room to get his Administration organized and his agenda underway, and then after that you will be asked to back off because you are endangering his chances of re-election, and then after that...

Posted at July 3, 2008 7:19 PM in response to A Time-line Of Obama's Statements On FISA