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Why is the Dem Congressional Leadership Abandoning the Constitution and the Rule of Law on FISA?

BUZZFLASH EDITOR'S BLOG
by Mark Karlin
Editor and Publisher

June 22, 2008

Okay, the gory details of betrayal have been splashed across BuzzFlash and in other news outlets for a couple of days. After a tease that seductively seemed to promise some backbone on the Constitution, the Democratic leadership in the House (and the Senate's capitulation is a 'comin, based on Harry Reid's recent statements) capitulated, caved, put on their knee pads and gave the White House the unconstitutional green light to spy on Americans, along with giving immunity to Telecom companies for breaking the law for cooperating with illegal WH snooping.

Yes, there are some cosmetic alterations in the bill, just enough to give the Dem Capitol Hill leadership some cover, but even the White House was apparently surprised at how much the Dem leadership gave to a president with the highest disapproval rating in history -- and what they gave was, essentially, retroactive immunity to the Telecoms and Bush (if the Telecoms didn't do anything illegal, then Bush didn't either, right?) and the WH the right to now legally violate the Constitution.

In his first major disappointment (we would have done what he did on the campaign finance issue, given what the Republicans are going to do to evade it through chaneling funds through the RNC and 527s), Obama (who if anything is known as a Constitutional rights stalwart), is going to go along with the bill, but pledges to put up a fight in the senate on Telecom immunity. Of course, the catch here is that he is not going to get enough votes to filibuster the bill, and so it will pass the senate too.

So BuzzFlash is going to offer five possible reasons that the Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill is once again laying down like a rug so that a president who is as popular as Hitler at a Miami Beach synagogue can ravage our rights.

Then we want you to weigh in with your thoughts below:

1) There has been ongoing speculation that several key Dems in the House and Senate were briefed on the FISA violations -- early on while they were happening -- and didn't formally or informally protest to any great degree. In short, if the House and Senate acknowledge, in legislation, Bush's illegal actions, they would possibly be setting up members of their own party -- some in leadership -- for eventual criminal prosecution, not to mention the embarrassment of the party for enabling the FISA debacle. (This theory also holds true on why the Dems have not more aggressively pursued the issue of WH sanctioned torture and murder of detainees).

2) On the Telecom side, just show us the money. The Telecom lobbyists have been in overdrive attempting to protect their clients, and the Telecom companies have been lavishly handing out campaign contributions. This speaks for itself.

3) The Dems still fear being labeled as enabling terrorism. They long ago lost the framing debate on this issue and have never seemed able to reposition the threat as one that the Bush Administration has utterly failed to appropriately deal with.

4) It's an election year, and a prolonged battle with the White House would obscure other election issues that better favor the Dems. This might explain Obama's concession, along with his campaign's desire to show that he's not "weak" on terrorism. But, for Obama who has been superb at changing the frame of Republican shibboleths, it's a return to accepting the GOP debate points at the expense of the Constitution and our civil rights.

5) The Democrats figure it's easier (most polling shows Americans support the Bush FISA bill, probably because of the effectiveness of GOP talking points, not because they actually know the core issues at stake) to go along, because they assume that they will control the executive branch in November. If this were to come true, the best case scenario would be that Obama would issue an Executive Order that he would comply with the FISA law prior to the Bush-enabling one about to be passed by the senate (after being passed by the House last week).

Finally, we should note that the majority of Democrats in the House voted against the Bush "Get Out of Jail and Continue Spying on Americans" bills -- 128 Dems in the House voted against the bill, with 105 voting for it. Only one Republican, if we recall, voted against it.

But the important issue relating to the above five hypotheses -- and there are more -- is that this abomination of the Constitution was supported and pushed by the House leadership. Steny Hoyer -- Nancy Pelosi's number two -- was the point person on the "negotiations," and it wouldn't have ended up the way it did without Pelosi's green light. Reid, in the senate, has always been ready to go along with the WH demands, even if he's occasionally voiced minor quibbles with it.

So what are your theories as to why, a few short months from an election, the Dems on the Hill are giving up basic Constitutional rights and letting the WH and Telecom companies legally off the hook?

Tell us your thoughts by commenting below:

BUZZFLASH EDITOR'S BLOG


Fisa and Obama

Another Flip Flop followers.......... Where is your belief in change now

FISA

It's easy ,it's an election year ,and both parties have sold the American people out. Both sides know what is going on ,I have been a Democrat all my life ,and I have come to expect corruption from the Republican party ,but now both parties are in this corrupt lie together .

The correct answer is "none of the above"

Your analysis failed to mention that the illegal wiretaps started before the justification of 9-11 and therefore the real reason for them is not countering terrorism. So what could the real reason be?

Bush and Cheney are immoral, unscrupulous, power-hungry, evil people. They stole two elections for personal power, lied us into an unnecessary war for personal gain and power, and committed far too many crimes to list here. What would people like them do with the ability to commit illegal wiretaps?

Well, we know what Nixon did with such a power, and compared to Bush & Cheney, Nixon was an absolute saint (I'm not defending the guy, but a lot of liberals would prefer Nixon re-incarnated to those two). Nixon used wiretaps against his "enemies list" to gain information that would allow him to win (by cheating) a second term.

So, if you were as evil as Bush and Cheney, what would you do with those powers? You'd wiretap every member of Congress (both sides of the house) in order to gain blackmail material. Material you could use to influence the wording of bills, and of votes on those bills.

You might, for instance, be able to force Nancy Pelosi to say that "impeachment is off the table" no matter what further crimes come to light. You could almost certainly force a yes vote on a bill designed to retroactively clear you of wiretapping crimes. You could get pretty much whatever you wanted.

One thought. There is no way Bush and Cheney could ever contemplate handing such power over to a democratic president for fear that the new president might be tempted to use it well and expose their crimes or to misuse it to steal their ill-gotten gains. They're probably not thrilled with the idea of McSame (combines Bush's stupidity and Cheney's evil and violent temper in one package) having such powers either - he might not choose to expose their crimes but he's as greedy as they are and would use those powers to steal their money.

These two do not respect the law and wipe their backsides on the constitution. Do you really think they're going to hand over power at the end of the year? They're not going to let a pesky constitutional amendment stop them...

why demos caved...

it is because they, both so called demos and repubEnrons, are all on the same team...and it's not our team. there are few real democrats left. most of our elected demos are dinos or dlc stealth repubEnrons who are captives of the same special interests, i.e., aipac, big pharma,insurance companies and the oil corps, as the repubEnron party. ask yourself: what meaningful change or reform has the great demo victory of '06 brought us? the answer is...none. there has been a lot of rhetoric, but little action. as long as money controls politics, the wealthy elite and big business will control the nation. as long as that obtains, the war will continue, our civil liberties will be further eroded, and our democratic institutions will be compromised or destroyed. Fellow Traveler

Bought and paid for

I think they know exactly what they are doing. They are manipulators who could not care less for anything other than their own short sighted interests. A fine first female Speaker-of-the-House we have in Pelosi, Reid is the other side of Spector, all mouth and no vote. We owe the great new Supreme Court to Feinstein and Schumer. Emmanuel manages to do his dirty work in the shade of old Washington. The list goes on and on. Those standing their ground are a disposable minority in the eyes of these "great Americans" Guess what - they all get elected. What does that say to us?

Why Dems are giving in

There are only two kinds of republicans,lying millionaires and suckers. The Dems are abandoning the constitution and the rule of law for the same reason impeachment is "off the table."America is being held hostage by this corrupt cartel that stole two elections and either planned and carried out 9-11 or stood back and allowed it to happen.You will notice that only Democrats received mail with U.S military grade anthrax and that investigation has been buried.The dems have been put on notice not to rock the boat or 9-11 will look like a Sunday school picnic,then their bought and paid for corporate whore propaganda machine goes into over drive that it is all the dems fault,they are soft on terror look what happens with out unlimited spying power,or in the case of impeachment, it's all the dems fault,impeachment is a witch hunt and pay back for Clinton,the white house was distracted preparing it's defense and vital information got"lost".WE ARE SCREWED.The dems are just going through the motions so they can stay in the game and get their share of the loot.REVOLUTION IS THE ONLY SOLUTION.

FISA - letter to Pelosi

My letter to Pelosi. I tried sending one to Hoyer but his site is designed to block non-constituents from communicating. Next is Feinstein - who will sell out the Constitution as quickly as did Pelosi and the other 104 Democratic bush-babies.

Ms. Speaker,

I am shocked, disheartened, and disgusted that you have facilitated the destruction of our 4th Amendment rights (under the Constitution, which you swore an oath to uphold and defend) with your vote for the FISA legislation today. I had hoped that you would side with the rights of the people instead of with an authoritarian administration, and TELCOS which demonstrated once again, that enough money can buy any legislation they want. What you have done is reprehensible and one hopes that you will face an enlightened and enraged constituency come November. For my part, although I am not in your District, rest assured that I will spend what I can on getting out the truth about your betrayal of our most cherished values.

Sincerely,

FICA

I like what you say ,you have hit the "proverbial" nail on the head AreBe,thanks for the comment.

They proved exactly who they really were all along.

This is the first time some of us 'activists' have something so blatant and concrete to point to, to wake everyone up to who exactly was undermining the party. It wasn't the Right, this time.

I've watched McAulife, Schumer Reid and Emanuel all control the power and purse of the DSCC and the DCCC to bring in Congressional candidates only fitting their requirements - for a bigger whiter male pro-business pro-hard line foreign policy agenda.

-It was those same people who worked to bring Lieberman back in and to keep out any new blood, the more forward Progressive thinking Democrats -like Lamont and Hackett and other anti-war type candidates.
-It was Pelosi and Harmon and Rockefeller and Schumer and Reid and Feinstein and Reid, who were in all along on the FISA, Patriot Act Bankruptcy Act, anti-Habeas etc., etc., while pretending they just didn't have the votes.

I've never been so embarrassed as a Democrat to hear Harry Reid, on an almost daily basis, on national TV cry "They wouldn't let us do this ...or that...boo hoo... those mean Republicans...". Seriously, didn't you all just cringe??

-But it was Hoyer and Emanuel and Harmon and Pelosi who forced out the Iran provision out of last springs 1st Defense Spending Bill,
because Hoyer said it would destroy the Troop Withdrawal provisions in the next bill, only weeks away.
--And then stripped out the Troop Withdrawal Provision in the next bill too.

-It was that same gang who by their cowardly acts have diminished the number of those voters who publicly claim they are Democratic voters- pushing them into the Independent or non-voting columns.
--And it was that same gang that were solely responsible then, for 6 straight election losses.

---And worse yet, once Howard Dean came along and redirected control of the Democratic party back into our own districts and excited the voters back into the party with just enough power to finally win an election, the first thing that same group did when they got the Congressional keys back, was to tell Howard Dean and the 'activists' to go screw ourselves.

And then proceeded to sink the party lower than anyone ever thought possible.
With all due respect to Hillary - most of these same guys supported her. Had she won -you could count years more of the same bullshit. Not so much because of her personally, but the insiders who backed her.

If it wasn't for Dean and Feingold and Obama -none of us would likely be here.

Oh by the way, I ran a blog for Feingold 08 when he seriously considered the run.
He quit after those same insider Senate Dems who destroyed Hackett and Lamont and brought Lieberman back - made it clear they weren't behind him. Feingold campaigned for Lamont, and we now know who they wanted as a candidate - Hillary Clinton.

Nationalism is not terrorism. And an adversary is not an enemy.

Although I largely agree, I think the OpEd missed a key element.

Let's not forget that some Dems were briefed, but not before 2001. Existing evidence indicates that this is when illegal wiretapping likely began.

I hate to admit it, but my congressman, Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV) is largely responsible for pushing retroactive immunity. It could have been because it wasn't until July 17, 2003, that he wrote himself a little note to cover his own ass and shoved it to the back of his desk.

What had the Bush administration uncovered by circumventing FISA between 2001 and 2003? Certainly nothing related to terrorism, or else theyd have advertised it.

So instead of seeking the advice of Dems on the senate judiciary panel Rockefeller inexplicably prevented them from legally weighing in back when he copped out on our 4th amendment rights. Some "oversight" senator Rockefeller. It is notable that the lion's share of Dems on the Senate and House Judiciary have been firmly against retroactive immunity. And even most of the other Dems on Rockefeller's defense intelligence Senate Select Oversight Committee are against his proposition as well!

But why did he not go to his lawyer friends on the Dem side at the time? His public explanation was that he feared weakening the system in place because of the threat of terrorism, although the fact is it was already covered by the existing FISA law. And why, since that time, has Rockefeller been so ardently supportive of Bush's wiretapping? To even come close to answering that question, several dots must be connected. First of all, Senator "Jay" (as he likes to be called) is heir to a family megafortune, and folks in his district realize that he has plenty of cash. Could telecom lobbyist money really sway his vote? There are, after all, serious limitations in place due to campaign finance laws. It's doubtful that the amount they've donated is enough to sway him. It'd likely take some real capital to cause him to pimp the FISA fix the way he has.

I'm not suggesting that he's "on the take". But the likely answer (at least from my perspective) is only slightly more complex than that. According to press reports, Sen. Jay made between $2 million to $11 mllion in unearned income last year. But he owed between $5 million and $25 million due to a mysterious bank loan. To me, that sounds suspiciously like a standard hedge fund loan. Could it have resulted from a call from one of the major players to raise quick money for some serious leveraging?

I'm just asking questions here.

After all, why would anyone suggest that any amount of money might sway his vote? For a bit of perspective, one might do well to remember the legacy of the Rockefeller fortune. Few, if any folks remember the days of the robber barons when his petroleum giant namesake doled out dimes to depression-era children on the street in order to impress the public. Making big money may well be in the Rockefeller DNA, no matter how that era is covered by the new history books.

Lest folks believe I've taken out futures on the tinfoil hat industry, as a local activist I've personally met, and worked with a fellow who has been on Senator Rockefeller campaign staff for a number of years. Awhile back, he told me candidly, face-to-face, that he was alarmed that in his Washington D.C. office, Rockefeller had nearly as many New York stock brokers as lobbyists visiting him. This fellow has no ax to grind, and in fact still helps Rockefeller get out the vote in my district every time he runs.

So my theory is that my senator's hooked up with some serious offshore hedge fund insider trades, and thanks to illegal wiretapping, Bush knows it. And he, along with the telecoms are using it to "persuade" Rockefeller into doing their bidding.

Most folk don't realize that insider trading by their congresscritters is entirely legal, even though it does raise a serious conflict of interest. The only reason Senator Bill Frist left at the height of his political career was because any serious inquiry into his own "Martha Stewart moment" would have exposed congress' insider game.

I strongly suspect that insider trading is rampant on both sides of the aisle, and the Bush administration is holding it over their collective heads. Otherwise, why haven't Dems passed the bill fashioned to put a stop to it, as co-sponsored by Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash)?

Oil and defense industry futures look very bright right now, so most of Congress will likely "make hay while the sun shines" on them. Meanwhile, the rest of America's getting pissed on while the media reports rain.

Screw the DLC Libercrats!

They are little more than repugnicans anyway.

Blame Pelosi and Reid.

Blame Pelosi and Reid.

FISA

Perhaps a great deal of the Dems shameful capitulation to anti-Constitutional law is their well founded (?) fear of an anthrax letter or worse.

Pseudo Dems

Answer: All of the above and then some.

agreement

Davy Jones I agree with all the comments especially the first one.

leadership

A leader can and should possess three attributes-- 1. Integrity--he will do the right thing. 2. Competence--he will do the thing right. 3. Vision--he will do the thing first. It's a sorry thing to see we have few leaders in Congress, particularly in positions of leadership. What a shame. Both Pelosi and Reid should get the hell out of the way. tpmco

Pelosi & Hoyer Caving to Bush

It is heartbreaking to view the outrage of Democrats, Independents and concerned citizens over the capitulation of the leadership in the House and Senate to the Bush Crime Syndicate on FISA, war funding, torture, etc etc. Having corrupted the opposition leadership the Bushies keep throwing punches at the Constitutional protections that we all hold dear. We have a bonafide Constitutional crisis. If Obama and others like Dodd and Feingold don't step up and filibuster the FISA "compromise" ( it will take 60 votes to stop the filibuster ) then all that we have fought for since taking power in November, 2006 will be lost a bloody revolution could result...led by true patriots with AK 47's. Is that what Pelosi, Hoyer, Rockefeller and Reid want! I surely hope not.

Pelosi & FISA

Pelosi is obviously one of the dozen or so closet Republicans; in the Senate we have Joe Lieberman and others who are likewise. All are from the DLC (Democratic Leadership Committee) like the Clintons and Gore, which has moved the "center" so far to the right that we have no left left in Congress. What to do? Simple, send your money to Cindy Sheehan so she can defeat Pelosi - and I mean all the money you can afford up to the legal limit.

Why is the Dem Congressional Leadership Abandoning the Constitut

All this shows is that there are Democrats in Congress who have been coopted and corrupted to the point that they can no longer act as our honest representatives. Our only solution is to get them out of office either through impeachment or by criminal proceedings. The torture issue should be enough to get rid of Pelosi and Reid. They allowed themselves to be compromised early on by the administration when they were briefed about the use of torture. Neither had the courage to speak out then and now are being blackmailed by the administration.

Banana Republic

I can't find the words to express my anger at the cowards and criminals that we entrusted with the stewardship of our once great nation. So many before me have expressed it so eloquently, for that I am grateful. But I am saddened by the prospect that the America we once cherished as the symbol of justice and hope for all; is now dead!!! As Americans, how ignorant are we to continue allowing these fools to lead us????????? Impeach Now or simply hang'em for Treason!

Follow the money

Definitely #2. Big corporations run this country and none are much bigger than the telecoms. The Dems, now in power, are probably getting even more money than the Republicans from the telecoms. As Jerry Brown said years ago (and other people different versions of this), D.C. is the 'theatre of illusion'. The Dems (their leadership and the majority of the rank and file) always intended to cave. They needed to string it out an eventually come up with a 'compromise' that essentially is a total cave-in, because they need to keep up a certain illusion of connection to the voters. There is no doubt some collusion and culpability by key Dems that they don't want to come to light (#1), but for the main reason follow the money.

P O'd ...AS USUAL

I'm pissed at Pelosi for letting this come to the floor. What elese can I say other than elect Cindy Sheehan. Nancy is simply a big bummer.

Democrats and Republicans

The Democrats and the Republicans are the left and right wings of the same party, the Capitalist party. The Democrats may offer social and environmental crumbs, while the Republicans make no bones about serving corporate interests, but when push comes to shove, they both worship at the altar of the Golden Calf. The Democrats rolled over for 9-11, Afghanistan, Iraq, and the rape of the Constitution. Barack Obama may offer us hope of racial reconciliation and less negativity from the bully pulpit, but as Mike Huckabee and Hillary Clinton hinted, he risks his life if he threatens the agenda of the New World Order. The same holds true for any member of Congress; you can count on one hand those willing to "Live Free or Die."

FISA

Because the Democrats are all on the same payroll as the Republicans. They murdered the last honest politition when they got rid of Paul Wellstone.

We need a poor peoples' party to represent the 90% who aren't protected by the two party system.

Kick ALL the bastards out. None can be trusted.

The Old Hippy

Congress and FISA

The only obvious reason (to me) the Dem leadership went ahead and put this bill up for a vote (again) is because the party leadership has know about the spying on its own citizens from the beginning. I'm wondering if our republic is going to survive much longer.

FISA

Screw the Rule of Law.... the Dems must get Obama elected in November at all cost. Pelosi, Reid, and rest of the gutless Wonders in DC will say and do anything in order to get a Democrat elected President this year. The Dems want the White House so bad that they sold their souls to Lucifer himself. George W. Bush is an inept Dufus who couldn't find his ass with two hands and a mirror and the Dems can't bitchslap this penis with ears back to Texas. How else can you explain this Mess? You gotta give Satan his props. He's got us by the shorthairs. The Canaryville Reporter

'THE NEW REPUBLIC'

The DEMS' sold out the Republic on FISA to avoid offending GOP 'moderates' in swing districts. The sad part of such facile thinking is there are no more 'Moderate' GOP-ers - just the WEALTHY & the STUPID! Were such NOT the case, BUSH would be in PRISON NOW instead of trying to finish off his 2nd. STOLEN TERM with a IRANIAN BANG while DULLARD AMERICANS watch it on CABLE while SUCKING A 6-PACK! As for the DEMS, their 'BLUE DOGS' & incredibly STUPID supportors will continue to be the bain of the Nation's existance until they DIE. I'm for sticking them all on 4 REAL 747'S then 9/11-ing it into the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas! (Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. OR WHATEVER HAPPENS IN THE WHITEHOUSE, STAYS IN THEWHITEHOUSE - DESPITE THE BUTTLICKER DEMS!) The GOP is lucky most Americans are HAPPILY Oblivious, Uninformed and just plain STUPID or they would make it the Minority Party FOREVER! Even a simple mind can see the GOP's been Gaming the System (Political-Elections and Economic) in America since 1981. The net result is the 'Democracy' and strong Job Market You used to THINK you had is GONE FOREVER. 'Leave it to Beaver' & Father Knows Best' are dead - AND REAGAN & THE GOP FASCISTS killed them as the 'new' FISA law indicates. Moreover, a political hack - McConnell - and Gates are the IDIOT frontmen for a far more insidious Evil heading up the DHS and the force behind the FASCISM becoming so prevalent in US domestic public policy. He's Mike Chertoff, the man behind the 'Real ID' idea and the son of a Found of the ISRAELI CIA - MOSSAD.

reason the democrats seem to be abandoning the constitution

could it be that the democrats who support the unconstitutional positions of the executive branch are actually being blackmailed using information culled from the warrantless wiretaps of their telephone calls and emails that have been used by the nsa throughout this administration? sar michael "but the liberal deviseth liberal things, and by liberal things shall he stand." isaiah 32:8 kjv

I've wondered about that, too

Yeah, some days, when I feeling particularly paranoid, I wonder if the Admin didn't just sweep up all kinds of info on Dems -- not necessarily that they've done anything illegal, but things that might embarrass them enough to lose re-election. I have visions of Cheney with stacks of files on 'em piled up in his man-sized safe. No, but really. I have thought that, too. Democrats, journalists, activists... I think it's a combo, though, of that, telco $$ in their pockets, Dem complicity in the program, and fear the Repubs will say they're soft. Oh. Also in tinfoil hat territory -- that they've been told that if they don't give immunity to the telcos (and hence the preznit) there WILL be another huge terror attack and it will happen at a time very inconvenient to electing a Dem to the White House.

A PARTY OF 1

SO OBVIOUS FOLKS, WHEN WILL YALL' "RECOGNIZE" THAT "THEY" R BOUGHT AND PAID FOR. THA 1'S WITH THA COURAGE GET SCOFFED AT AND HAVE NO "REAL" SAY. DIVISION IS THE GAME AND THEY WANT 2 KEEP IT THAT WAY. NOW IT COULD B STOPPED BUT IT TAKES GREAT COURAGE . SO MAYBE YALL JOIN THA FREE THINKIN FIELD AND SAY "GODDAMNIT, IM A HUMAN BEING AND I DESERVE THA FUCKIN TRUTH.

Proof is in the pudding

I think the reason the dems caved is that the repugs are very good at pointing to their successes and hiding their failures, and somehow the opposite is true for dems. any democrats failure is held up to intense scrutiny and ridicule, yet when a republican fails, or screws up, its barely a blip.

So the success in this administration in somehow staving of any further attacks on our soil (thanks for that, by the way), completely obscures the failures they have in upholding the constitutional principles that mean so much to all of us. Ironic that these guys who are so anti government seem to have NO problem with spying, illegal search and seizure and detention without cause or end. someone needs to spy and tape them talking amongst themselves (similar to the Enron geeks cackling about grandma paying through the nose), so that they might see the value of privacy. wouldn’t you like to hear the vileness that they truly believe in.

so democrats, who are in principle, more principled and generally kind, somehow have nothing to swat the march towards big brother, since in the name of it, we have been free of attacks. Makes you wonder about conspiracy...like if a dem gets into the Whitehouse, are the attacks going to start up again? Who really believes that they need to communicate over telephone or email in order to carry out a suicide bombing or some such thing? If i were a Muslim fanatic, as per this govts terror labeling, nothing would have stopped me from doing some evil. could it be that the aggressive big brother Goliath, stomping around the world that is stopping the tiny Davids – what’s the real story?

The New Bipartisnship

The New Bipartisnship is Republicans sticking together like glue and Dems are divided and conquered as they weakly cave in. Kucinich and Feingold have spine. Pelosi, Hoyer, and Reid lack spine. Those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither.

Unity Can Be Forged In The Struggle To Impeach President Bush

What kind of unity? The unity that's a must if we're to change the world.

Who cares about a goddamned piece of paper anyway?

The only thing worth fighting about is wealth. Wait a minute: what about the sheeple? Nah,they're mostly poor and quite docile. They won't raise any stink. By tomorrow - no-one will remember.

Did Obama vote with the majority?

At the end of the day he is just another politician. What is the Obama Flip?Ans:The sound of one shoe walking.

'Fear of Loss'

'Fear of Loss', one of the great motivating fears, is the reason Congressional Dems are (for the most part) capitulating on BIG issues, like, the Rape of the Constitution, Endless unauthorized War, and Refusal to Impeach. It's the fear of (potential) loss of their own seat, and the collective majority (for what good that's done us over the last 1.5yrs) party status. The collective 'they' that would allow the Constitution to be shredded, war crimes to be committed, and accountability denied are more concerned about maintaining a 'seat at the table' (or, snout in the trough) then they are in acting for the good of the Republic. It's (well past) time for a grass roots constitutional 'congress' to meet and develop a TERM LIMITS Amendment for the Congress. 'They' won't act to remove themselves, obviously, and 75% of the states can NOT be counted on acting in a timely basis either, ALL are part of the problem. There is a third way, a loop hole in the constitution, that suggests that the citizenry can put forth articles of amendment. I suggest we do. Limit any/every congressperson to 1 three year term and every senator to 1 six year term. maximum of one term per body, limit 9 years total and NO RETIREMENT packages or benes. Turn it back into a 'service' opportunity for ones country v getting on the government tit and staying there til death. agreed ? One PISSED OFF Viet Vet ('72-'73)

kick the bums out

See here: Blue America PAC vs Retroactive Immunity:
_________________________________________________

"It is time we start holding our elected representatives responsible for rubber stamping the most grievous aspects of the Bush Regime’s agenda. Surely the plans for retroactive immunity for Bush cronies inside his regime and for cronies in the telecom corporations who broke the law by spying on American citizens without warrants, is outrageous and needs to be brought before the bar of Justice. All the money raised on this page will go to fund accountability for congressmembers supporting retroactive immunity and warrantless wiretaps. You can read more about the campaign here, here and here.
After Dick Gephart betrayed the majority of House Democrats and plotted with Bush, Cheney and some Blue Dogs to thwart the will of the majority and rubber stamp Bush’s decision to attack and occupy Iraq, he was forced out of his role as Democratic Leader. Steny Hoyer deserves the exact same fate."
_________________________________________________

Think this is a pipe dream? Go read the links. Blue America has already, since 2006, gotten jerks like this replaced by progressives who DO respect the Constitution in many districts. And with enough $$$ we can do it more this fall. Oh, yeah, we can definitely make their "Fear of Loss" become a reality.

------------------------------
*If my links don't work, I'll post them bare in a follow-up post.

a reply

kennethetucker beautifully put! We all should start a petition, have everyone we know and some we don't and send them into whomever to get these people out!! I loved your idea of the term limits! It's high time that WE THE PEOPLE GET OUR COUNTRY BACK!! peace to you and yours...

Pelosi Floor Statement on FISA

Here is Pelosi's floor statement of FISA>>> http://speaker.house.gov/newsroom/pressreleases?id=0710

Why Are The Democrats Selling Out?

"Because we're letting them get away with it, that's why." "But what can we do about it?" "Same as for Impeachment, ending the Iraq War, preventing an Iran War plus turning things around here at home." "Which is?" "A permanent mass uprising."

Will My Vote Count?

Well, one way I can ensure that it DOES NOT COUNT is to NOT VOTE! However, if you, like me HOPE for change, then you will VOTE! And the only HOPE for change in November-whether the GOP runs McCain or another Repugnicaint-is Obama, and choosing another Democrat over the incumbent Democrat! C. Douglas Kouka Allen

Why A Do-Nothing Congress ?

Republican/Democrat = actually only two branches of the same party all owned and controlled by the same Elitists, which is why a REAL party OF THE PEOPLE can never get heard. Actually Political parties are not given ANY permission to even exist in the Constitution, much less run the election system and the country! BOTH parties have the same goal of OWG and all that we are discussing here about the cowardly fearful Congress (and Senate) is because all the LACK of action is because we ARE IN TRANSITION into the OWG as we speak. They are just not telling YOU that. But with the American Dollar being devalued by the day, so that it is now only worth 2 cents, literally; While the world is saturated in oil (there is NO shortage) and the controlled prices here are making it deadly for the common man and woman-ALL GEARED at forcing us to "beg for Bush's Amero" (as he put it), and into his OWG (NAU). Bush has the Congress so in fear of him,they don't dare stand up to him. They don't want to be the next 'high flyer' off a tall building! That is how Dictator Bush runs things! Bush has given all kinds of powers to HIMSELF, and he has totally disregarded Congress as if they didn't exist and THEY have let him get away with it. TREASON !

Why Bother Now????

You "sheeple" act as if this is a new revelation...it's way, way past too late. Smoke and mirrors....a weak ass parlor trick at best. Suck it up and deal with it, because your just another tool for the elite to manipulate. YOU HAVE OWNERS!!! PLAIN AND SIMPLE!!! These trolls don't care about you....or little suzy...or little jimmy...never have...never will......all they care about is keeping their so-called "bloodlines" on the top of the shit pile... Ain't nobody gonna save us but ourselves, so knuckle up!

100% On The Money !

Excellent ! Correct on all counts ! And WE'd better get organized and show OUR great numbers = the ONLY thing the Elite fear ! WE outnumber them which is why they create divisions among us. They keep us fighting among ourselves so we do not organize and revolt against THEM ! Another reason why they keep the Democrat vs Republican political games going ! They think it distracts us and keeps us focused where THEY WANT us focused (and off of THEM) ! WE do not actually ever "elect" anyone ! The 'Electors' do and they would vote even if not one person cast a vote ! The CFR does all the choosing and puts in office who THEY want. WE (our votes) actually have nothing to do with it. WE just play he games they force us into ! WE are a manipulated slaves and nothing more. TIME TO TURN THE TABLES ! TIME TO LOCK AND LOAD - TOGETHER !

RELENTLESSLY CONTACT PEOLIS AND REID

We should all deluge Pelosi's office with emails and phone calls. She should be overwhelmed with our anger at her lack of leadership and her betrayal. Don't let her get away with this. She is protecting Bush. SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI Office of the Speaker H-232, US Capitol Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-0100 http://speaker.house.gov/contact/ HARRY REID Washington 528 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-3542 / Fax: 202-224-7327 http://reid.senate.gov/contact/

Nancy Pelosi has actively

Nancy Pelosi has actively betrayed the American people and the Constitution. She has used her leadership position to obstruct justice and to protect George Bush and his illegal policies. She has offered zero opposition to Bush's war policies and funding. She has not only not held Bush accountable but she is also responsible for actively protecting this him and his administration at every step. Pelosi has aligned herself with the elite right wing agenda of the Neocons and George Bush and in doing so is guilty as an accomplice.Nancy Pelosi is therefore guilty of betraying the American people and having broken her oath to protect the Constitution of the United Sates should be prosecuted for obstruction and treason. She should be removed from power and held accountable for crimes having harmed the American people including the murder of our soldiers sent into war and kept there based on a pack of lies.

DLC folks!

All your points have some merit Buzzflash, but the major problem with the Dems is that ever since the Clinton presidency/Democratic Leadership Council was formed in the early 90's, the Rahm Emmanuel/Melissa Bean/Mary Landrieu/Steny Hoyer, etc. type of spineless-compromise at all costs-scared of right wing/media criticism, are the vast majority of the slated dem candidates. These DLC/blue dog/corporate democrats have no real progressive values in the first place, which is why their picked and bankrolled by the leadership. Until we target all of these sellout faux democrats for defeat in their respective primaries, than I am afraid were just going to get more of the same.

So Get Rid of Them!

Don't give your money to the DLC, the Democratic Party, etc. Blue America PAC vs Retroactive Immunity is giving money to the campaigns of challengers -- progressive challengers -- to these institutional capitulators. Go there. Read the links. This is how to "target all of these sellout faux democrats for defeat."

FISA And More

Havig read the other comments Which pretty much cover it I would Like to boil it down to the simple fact: Our Country Has Been Sold Out By The Very People Who Have Been Charged With It's Stewardship.

Fire Pelosi in November

Nancy Pelosi has become a Republicon stooge. I just sent a contribution to Cindy Sheehan (www.cindyforcongress.org) and will be voting for Sheehan in November.

I hope Obama will make some noise and derail telecom immunity in the Senate but I doubt he's going to make waves. I doubt he believes that much in change. The Dems have been a big disappointment over the past couple of years and are really pathetic now. If this horrible bill passes in the Senate, I will seriously consider a vote for Nader/Gonzales in November. They seem to have read the constitution and understand why we have it.