Sunday, June 22, 2008
Barack Obama clarified his statement in support of H.R. 6304, the so-called telecom immunity bill, and said he would try to strip a provision granting immunity to telecommunication companies when the bill comes to a vote in the Senate next week.
“[The bill] does, however, grant retroactive immunity, and I will work in the Senate to remove this provision so that we can seek full accountability for past offenses.”
The House approved the legislation 293-129 and H.R. 6304 received the support of DINO House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
From the Left calls on the presumptive Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, to join with Sen. Chris Dodd next week when the legislation comes before the Senate for a vote and uphold the Constitution and strip the retroactive immunity portion from the bill.
From the Left 
I wish he would flat out oppose it and work to defeat it. We all know this will pass as Pelosi and Reid will do whatever necessary to enable Bush to gain complete control over our lives.
Who was it who said politics is a fool’s game?
Obama understands the art of compromise and when he says he will work to remove the retroactive immunity feature for the telecommunications industry, I believe him.
Let’s not throw Obama under the bus before he’s elected. This is precisely what the RNC hopes we will do.
I trust Barack Obama and I refuse to think he will sell us out in order to be elected. For goodness sake, he’s not Hillary Clinton.
I continue to believe that pushing this bill through now was an act of political extortion on the part of Pelosi and Hoyer and their cronies who are having to cover their backsides on this issue because they were complicit and they know they could someday face legal consequences.
Keith Olbermann and Jonathan Turley both have said they believe this is a CYA move on the part of the Pelosi gang.
If you look carefully at Obama’s record on the FISA bills to date, you see his strong stand on the Constitutional rights of citizens. It took him and his campaign a long time to come out and make the statement they did, and as you point out, Christopher, he wants to try to strip the retroactive immunity.
I believe Pelosi and Hoyer pushed this bill through now before Obama got the nomination while he is still vulnerable and needs them to make sure the convention goes smoothly and that no one tries to force him to put Hillary on the ticket.
In other words, to cover their own backsides, they risked alienating Obama from his progressive base, counting on the fact that he wouldn’t be able to throw them under the bus by opposing this FISA bill as strongly as he has opposed all of the previous bills.
Just my theory.
I think Winnie hit the nail on the head. I agree 100% with her analysis. This is CYA and Obama shouldn’t be hung out to dry. He’s not the enemy here. Let’s give him a chance.
Are we killing the messenger here? The real crime was the White House telling the phone companies they HAD to disclose. Most of them did…. which although questionable & Unconstitutional, we are not going after the REAL CRIMINALS- those who demanded the info in the first place.
If Obama says he will work to remove this part of the legislation, then I think he will do it. I almost get the impression some people posting on the blogs are just looking for a reason to turn on Obama. If your support for him is so tepid, then run along and vote for Nader or McCain.
They need to re-craft the bill and do it correctly. What good is rushing a half-assed P.O.S through the Congress? Here’s the answer:
The CYA aspect is correct. If this is passed the way it stands, BU$Hco wiggles its way out of war crimes prosecution later on down the road.
They might as well repeal 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.”
Remember The Rosenbergs.
Peace,
=RD=
Obama will do the right thing for the Constitution and the American people. I trust him.