Senators Cave On FISA: New Bill Gives AG Power Over Telecoms

TPM Muckraker:

It took until early this morning, but, as expected, the Senate intelligence committee has passed its surveillance bill. Also as expected, retroactive legal immunity for telecommunications companies complying with President Bush's warrantless surveillance program is part of the bill. Not exactly as expected: it won't be the FISA Court that determines who complied with the program. It will be the attorney general:

The Senate bill would direct civil courts to dismiss lawsuits against telecommunications companies if the attorney general certifies that the company rendered assistance between Sept. 11, 2001, and Jan. 17, 2007, in response to a written request authorized by the president, to help detect or prevent an attack on the United States.

Suits also would be dismissed if the attorney general certifies that a company named in the case provided no assistance to the government. The public record would not reflect which certification was given to the court.

Read the whole story: TPM Muckraker

Comments

[McE]

More comments than any other article currently running on HuffPost and its buried below the fold.

Why is HuffPost and most of the liberal media trying to bury this story? Is Dodd not "Hillary" enough for HuffPost? Is HuffPost (and the NYTimes, and WaPo and almost everyone else) afraid of the telcos?

I don't get it. A Dem finally makes a fist, and the progressive media ignores it so they can run more stories on how the Dems never make a fist. Either back a guy who's willing to fight for us or continue to rollover like the rest of the Dems when the Reps bark, but if you do rollover, don't expect me not to laugh the next time you post about the Dems not fighting for our rights when you don't support them when they do.

[demsrnuts]

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd will have a new pitch to Iowans: Vote for a neighbor.
The Connecticut senator has rented a house in Des Moines, where he and his family will live until the caucuses in January. Dodd and his wife, Jackie Clegg Dodd, have two daughters, 6-year-old Grace and 2-year-old Christina.

"They've rented a house in Des Moines and the girls will be coming out as well," campaign spokeswoman Taylor West said Friday. "It's one more piece of strengthening our operation in Iowa. We are committed to the state."

The Dodds are arranging to enroll Grace in kindergarten

[LindaJay]

There is an interesting article in Salon today on how Robert Kennedy almost 40 years ago fought banks who broke the law then wanted Congress to pass a law giving them amnesty:

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/10/21/kennedy_amnesty/index.html

This is very apt to what is happening today. Only today it is even worse simply because the Constitution is threatened. I've just sent an email to Ted Kennedy reminding him of his brother's fight and asking him if he is going to stand beside Chris Dodd.

http://kennedy.senate.gov/senator/contact.cfm

[bushmocker]

This is my first and last comment today.This is a disgrace to our nation,I don't even want to rant.I have never been so disappointed by the Democrats as I am right now.

[Pdubya]

http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.3835:

Write your representatives, call them and do what you can to get this bill passed!

blue dog dem atheist for Ron Paul

[stargazer13]

in the fall fire them all
all who vote for immunity that is

[Purple Girl]

WHY DOES THE MEDIA CONTINUE TO USE THE WORD 'CAVED'!!?? They have not been caving since '00 elections - they have been PAVING !!!!
Add alls name to the list of traitors to be prosecuted & sentenced to the fullest extent of the law. I have no patience nor mercy for any of these corrupt PUBLIC SERVANTS !!!! Perhaps it's time to take one out of the Chinese handbook for resolving corruption­/incompete­ncy issues with their employees- no drawn out legal proceeding. Judgement, execution. If the Chinese feel their head of export goods inactions in regards to products safety deserved the death sentence- what would they do with those who have blanantly concocated a war, mis managed what should have been a precision strike (not invasion) and are now rubbing their grimy little hands together to start another. I realize the Chinese are not great humnitarians, so they must have at least enough national integrity to not want to want to screw their customers. So we have not only killed far too many to know, nearly bankrupt an dhated around the world- we have lost the opportunity to have Middle Eastern Children as our customers in the future. (Perhaps if we posed this greed reason- Bushco would stop. I wonder if Bush has considered that now that Jenna is getting married - grandchildren are just around the corner.Has he realized that he will be responsible for the world of terror it will have to survive in. Middle Easterns hold grudges forever (literally). Bush's 8th generation will be luck to still not be feling the hate. Since Cheney's daughters a lesbian- he hates everyone and does give a sh*t.Jenna have lots of kids so they feel your fathers f*uck that much more.

[stargazer13]

purple girl

they use words like that to prepare us for there mind set

[loki]

HEY PELOSI AND REED. WHY DONT YOU JUST MAKE KARL ROVE KING, AND BUSH QUEEN FOR EVER, AND THEN YOU CAN SIT BACK AND COLLECT YOUR ROYALTY CHECKS FROM THE CORPORATE SCUM YOU WHORE YOURSELVES TO?

I'll be damned if I will ever believe another democrat for the rest of my life.
And with the way the capitalistic lying ass greed driven deathwishing warmongering republicans are heading us, and the democratic weasels that bend over and grab their ankles to the whims of the republicans, life as any of us know it, may not last that much longer anyway.
The way things are going, republicans getting their wish of scorching the earth and killing all, could be a blessing.

[loki]

Thank you Dodd. But I fear you will not fair well against the wicket witch of the US, Pelosi and her flying monkeys of the democratic party. They all live to please their masters, the Kings of Capitalism and the Emperors of Evil.

[loki]

In the immortal words of my late grandfather.
" Those rotten pigfuckers!"

Lying , 2 faced rotten democrats. They have done more in the last 9 months to ruin their party than the republicans have in the last 50 years of propaganda, lies, slanders and mudslinging.

We are totally doomed now. There is no hope for the American public, and the United States of America.

[swift goat pet for truth]

Senators:

"What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

- Patrick Henry

[stargazer13]

I have not yet begun to fight

John Paul Jones

[swift goat pet for truth]

I just sent Sen. Dodd some money.
First candidate this year. If I have the opportunity, I will vote for him.

The rest of them are totally useless.

[askmeificare]

I thought the dems were going to stop Bush's illegal ware and illegal wiretapping.

Guess not.

[ghostsofamerica]

Dodd gets flowers monday, too. Pete Stark and Senator Dodd, good on them.

[TJoad]

Wow, an actual live, breathing creature thought to have been long extinct--a Democratic legislator with some cojones.

[Waitaminute]

I wished there was a Ron Paul/ Dennis Kucinich or nice versa. Thats my ideal ticket.

We could insure their win. Lets try this first. If this doesn't work, we should do a 1776 on the traitors. No more protesting in protest free zones.

[loki]

Thats a great idea, but most of Americans are mouth and no balls, so they suck up to the party who they assume will win, and hope not to be torn apart by the wolves afterwards.

[stargazer13]

Any where I am or my fellow Americans in America is a free speech zone for that is what I was brought up with and children never stray far from there up bringing