Feingold: "I Really Do Disagree" With Reid On FISA

Sam Stein
The Huffington Post

Feingold: "I Really Do Disagree" With Reid On FISA
January 24, 2008 12:37 PM


A long-debated provision over whether or not telephone companies would get a free pass for aiding the U.S. government in warrentless surveillance hits the Senate floor today. And it threatens to open up fissures within the Democratic Party.

In an interview with the Huffington Post on Thursday morning, Sen. Russ Feingold, who opposes granting immunity to those companies, expressed disappointment that his party's leader, Sen. Harry Reid, was not doing more to help strike the provision from a newly considered version of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

"Of course I have great respect for the Majority Leader," said Feingold. "He is a good friend of mine. But I really do disagree with his way of proceeding."

At issue is the likely passage of a version of FISA that contains retroactive immunity over one that doesn't. Reid has said he supports the former, but legislatively, the path has been paved for the passage of the latter. In addition, there is debate over an amendment offered by Sen. Chris Dodd, to strip immunity from any FISA bill. If that fails -- and it seems likely -- Dodd has threatened to filibuster the whole bill. On Wednesday, Reid was interpreted as saying any such filibuster will be the standing and talking variety as opposed to an agreed-upon 60-vote minimum threshold. Feingold, who supports Dodd's stance, took slight issue with that approach.

"We should have a normal process were this is debated based on a majority vote in the senate," said the Wisconsin Democrat. "That's the way it should have been done and I regret that it's not being done that way. Of course, I support Senator Dodd. He and I were principally involved in making sure this didn't get jammed through before the holidays and I will be supporting him again. But this decision does make it harder."

more...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/24/feingold-i-really-do-di_n_83053.html

He's a son of a bitch for what he is doing.

much like him either, there is NO excuse for the little game he has been playing with this legislation and the only explanation is that he is capitulating to Bu$h once again.

Is that he is bought and paid for by the telecoms.

ever since the story broke. I don't have a link handy, but someone posted the numbers a while back and they were pretty eye-opening.

Perhaps it's time that happened. I think that Reid and his cronies should be exposed as the Dinos they are. They should be held up and ridiculed for their shameless support of this criminal administration, and their constituents should hold them accountable at election time. Yeah, I know, I'm dreaming.

They seem really shocked at the strength of the insurgency. I think HRC expected to walk away with the nomination, and Pelosi keeps acting so surprised that people won't just do what she says and forget about this whole impeachment thing.

Dammit, we do matter! Or do we? Sometimes I don't know any more.

will strike immunity (or at least delay that portion) while the whole rest of the spying program that we should all oppose continues on. Immunity is an important issue but the rest of the program is objectionable too, right?

Is immunity a smokescreen just like waterboarding is a smokescreen for the whole larger program of torture and rendition?