Elizabeth Warren Music Video

RC Productions has made a music video in tribute of Elizabeth Warren. The music video urges the appointment of Warren to the new consumer financial protection agency. Treasury Sec. Tim Geithner and Sen. Christopher Dodd have opposed her nomination. As chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel, Warren questioned Geithner's commitment to the mortgage crisis and fought Dodd's attempts to water down the financial reform bill. What we are seeing is two very thin-skinned men looking for political payback. I find it interesting Warren's two leading critics are men that fought to protect AIG executive bonuses.

You can watch the Warren music video at the Huffington Post.

John Edwards Against FISA Bill

John Edwards has come out publicly against the FISA bill.

In Washington today, telecom lobbyists have launched a full-court press to win retroactive immunity for their illegal eavesdropping on American citizens. Granting retroactive immunity will let corporate law-breakers off the hook and hamstring efforts to learn the truth about Bush's illegal spying program.

"It's time for Senate Democrats to show a little backbone and stand up to George W. Bush and the corporate lobbyists. They should do everything in their power -- including joining Senator Dodd's efforts to filibuster this legislation -- to stop retroactive immunity. The Constitution should not be for sale at any price."

I received an Edwards campaign asking Floridians to voice their disapproval of the Bush administration-backed FISA bill to Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez.

Mel Martinez, (R): (202) 224-3041
Bill Nelson, (D): (202) 224-5274

Edwards has come out against the bill. Are Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama going to show leadership and use their pulpits to sway colleagues. Their silence have spoke volumes about their political courage.

The lobbying power of the telecommunication companies can not be underestimated. The telecom industry has contributed $2,834,423 this election cycle. The Senate voted 76 to 10 to vote on the bill. The bill would have easily passed if not for Christopher Dodd placing a hold on the bill.

The issue is that the bill violates the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court secretly presides over federal requests for wiretaps. The FISA court rarely turns down requests. The first appeal was filed by the Bush administration. Judge James Robinson resigned in protest. The Justice Department incompetently improperly filed 75 applications. FISA historically rubber stamps wire tap requests. The Bush administration went beyond the court's legal tolerance. The Bushies decided they would still wiretap.

The White House refused to allow Congress to see documents pertaining to the warrantless wiretapping program. The administration relented, to convince Congress to grant retroactive immunity to telecom companies. Which begs the question: if the program is legal then why is legal immunity needed.

FISA Bill On Hold

Harry Reid pulled the FISA bill at the last moment. Reid denies Christopher Dodd and the blogosphere had anything to do with his decision.

"He blinked," Caroline Fredrickson, director of the Washington office of the American Civil Liberties Union, said of Reid. "It's clear that this was not going to be easy. On the one hand he wanted to rush this process and think he could strong-arm everybody to giving up their rights as senators. They threw sand in the gears."

There is no other logical reason. The Senate voted 76 to 10 to vote on the bill. It would have passed easily with bipartisan support.

Matt Yglesias misses the point. It has less to do with the will of the Senate body than the lobbying power of the telecommunications industry. Notice how the other Democratic presidential candidates have failed to take the initiative on the FISA bill. Money makes the world and presidential campaigns go.

Dodd thanks his supporters.

FISA In Wonderland

Only the Bush administration would have the audacity to admit to warrantless wiretapping and then back a Senate bill granting immunity to telecommunication companies.

WASHINGTON —An intelligence bill the Senate is scheduled to take up after it returns Dec. 3 would block Americans from learning details of any warrantless surveillance program the federal government conducted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the American Civil Liberties Union says.

The bill would grant immunity from lawsuits to communications companies for any "intelligence activity involving communications" that was "designed to detect or prevent a terrorist attack" or attack preparations. Telecoms would need to show they received a "written request or directive" from the administration vouching that the programs were "lawful" to stop lawsuits.

Liz Rose, spokeswoman for the Washington office of the ACLU, says the language is a "blank check" that would cover not only a warrantless wiretapping program the Bush administration has acknowledged but any unconfirmed or previously unknown program. Last year, USA TODAY and other media reported that some U.S. telecoms also shared customer calling information with the National Security Agency as part of an anti-terrorism program that the administration has not confirmed.

Many of the illegally monitored calls were domestic. The White House has not explained why it is necessary to listen to the calls of American citizens. What is clear is the Bush administration has used the NSA to violate the Fourth Amendment.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Christopher Dodd has been outspoken against the FISA bill. Qwest admitted they were approached by the Bush administration to paticipate in warrantless wiretapping. They declined because of legal concerns. Verizon and AT&T have been silent on the matter.

We know that the Bush administration has admitted to warrantless wiretapping. Quest told the media they were asked to paticipate. Why haven't members of the administration being brought up on criminal charges?

Another matter is how can lawmakers consider legislation that clearly goes against the Constitution? The federal government has become as surrealistic as Alice In Wonderland.

Chris Dodd Speech

Christopher Dodd spoke on the Senate floor on the FISA bill.

The President’s wholesale disregard of the rule of law has compounded the damage done in Iraq and has made our nation less secure and as a direct consequence of these acts, we are less secure, more vulnerable and more isolated in the world.

Consider the scandal at Abu Ghraib – where Iraqi prisoners were subjected to inhumane and humiliating acts by U.S. personnel charged with guarding them.

Consider Guantanamo Bay. Rather than helping to protect the nation, the prisons at Guantanamo Bay have instead become the very symbol for our weakened moral standing in the world.

Consider the secret prisons run by the CIA and the practice of extraordinary rendition that allows them to evade U.S. law regarding torture.

Consider the shameful actions of our outgoing Attorney General who politicized prosecutions – who was more committed to serving the President who appointed him than the laws he had sworn to uphold.

Sign the petition.

Update: Dodd will appear on Meet the Press this Sunday. It's a good platform for him to raise awareness about the questionable language in the FISA bill.

Senators Respond to Dodd's FISA Filibuster

Christopher Dodd's live chat on putting a hold on the FISA bill has caused a stir in the netroots. The candidates' aides have been paying attention. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have been forced to take a stance.

Obama's spokesman Bill Burton issued this statement.

"Senator Obama has serious concerns about many provisions in this bill, especially the provision on giving retroactive immunity to the telephone companies. He is hopeful that this bill can be improved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. But if the bill comes to the Senate floor in its current form, he would support a filibuster of it."

Hillary Clinton was directly asked about the FISA bill.

Q: Can you discuss your position on the reauthorization of the FISA bill?

Hillary Clinton: I am troubled by the concerns that have been raised by the recent legislation reported out of the Intelligence Committee. I haven't seen it so I can't express an opinion about it. But I don't trust the Bush Administration with our civil rights and liberties. So I'm going to study it very hard. As matters stand now, I could not support it and I would support a filibuster absent additional information coming forward that would convince me differently.

Joe Biden has come out against the bill. That's three Senators. How this hurts the Bush administration is Dodd, Clinton, Obama, and Biden are presidential candidates and can give increased media attention to how awful an idea giving retroactive immunity to telephone companies that illegally released private information.

Biden serves on the Judiciary Committee. Arlen Specter has already expressed reservations the bill. Specter and Patrick Leahy couldn't hide their frustration of the White House's refusal to release documents relating to warrantless wiretapping.

You have now had more than ample time to collect and process the relevant documents. Responsive information to those subpoenas is long overdue. You have made commitments to provide responsive information over the last several months and even recently, but no such information has yet been provided.

Instead, we read that a White House spokesperson has now conditioned the production of information on prior Senate agreement to provide retroactive immunity from liability for communications carriers. That is unacceptable and would turn the legislative process upside down. If the Administration wants our support for immunity, it should comply with the subpoenas, provide the information, and justify its request. As we have both said, it is wrongheaded to ask Senators to consider immunity without their being informed about the legal justifications purportedly excusing the conduct being immunized. Although the two of us have been briefed on certain aspects of the President's program, this cannot substitute for access to the documents and legal analysis needed to inform the legislative decisions of the Committee as a whole.

One Senator and bloggers started an avalanche against BushCo. This FISA bill would have been a done deal before the age of blogging an online chats. This is grassroots mobilization that has potential longterm consequences oon civil liberties. If Dodd defeats this bill, this will be proof that political apathy is inexcusable.

I have never seen apathy as a justifiable excuse in politics or one's personal affairs. Every person, I have known whom is apathetic has serious issues in believing in themselves. There is the cynical saying that you can't fight city hall. Right now Chris Dodd and bloggers are fighting the White House an winning.

Christopher Dodd On FISA Bill

Firelakedog set up a video chat with Christopher Dodd. The Senator explains why he put a hold on the FISA bill. A problem with the bill's language is retroactive protection for people that obtained private information from telephone companies without a court order.

AFL-CIO Democratic Forum

Crooks and Liars has highlights from the AFL-CIO Democratic Forum

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Emotional Question From Audience Member On Health Care

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