Barbara Boxer

A group of senators, led by Russ Feingold is urging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to make the FISA bill passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) the base bill to be considered on the Senate floor. And they're doing it publicly.

“The Judiciary Committee FISA bill fixes many of the flaws of the surveillance law we enacted in August and the new bill approved by the Intelligence Committee. Everyone agrees that we should give our intelligence officials the tools they need to go after suspected terrorists. There’s no reason we can’t do that while still protecting the privacy of innocent Americans and ensuring adequate oversight of these broad new surveillance authorities -- and without setting the dangerous precedent of granting retroactive immunity to companies that allegedly participated in an unlawful program,” Senator Feingold said.

“I strongly urge the Majority Leader to take up the Judiciary Committee’s version of the FISA legislation. It is absolutely essential that as the Senate begins debating reforms to FISA we do not include retroactive immunity provisions for telecommunications companies that may have engaged in illegal conduct. Additionally, the Judiciary Committee’s version of the FISA legislation contains much stronger safeguards which will serve to protect Americans against the President’s warantless wiretapping program,” Senator Dodd said.

The Senators expressing their support for the SJC FISA bill in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Reid are Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI), Chris Dodd (D-CT), Barack Obama (D-IL), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Joe Biden (D-DE), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Jim Webb (D-VA), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), and Barbara Boxer (D-CA).

Sen. Barbara Boxer, through a spokeswoman, acknowledges she is blocking former Rep. James Rogan's (R-CA) nomination to the federal bench because of his role in impeaching former president Bill Clinton.

Well, okay, in part because of. But still. Nicely done.

The GOP has screwed with Boxer for almost 2 solid decades it better be some time for payback. Her spokeswoman said Boxer is denying Rogan a hearing because of his record in Congress against abortion rights, cleaning up the environment, helping organized workers and stopping gun violence.

Yeah, yeah, Republicans are wrong on issues, fine, but is that it, Barbara?

No way she's about to help a man who led the impeachment crusade against Clinton, which Boxer fervently fought on the Senate floor in 1998. Rogan, who is now a California state judge, was of one 13 House managers who tried Clinton's impeachment case (and lost) in the Senate.

"Congressman Rogan was one of the most enthusiastic backers of impeachment -- he thought President Clinton had committed high crimes and misdemeanors," says Boxer spokeswoman Natalie Ravitz. "The Senate certainly disagreed with that conclusion, as did Senator Boxer."

Perfect. Forget nothing.

Sure, the spokeswoman Ravitz smooths over the statement adding: "Senator Boxer has never supported Jim Rogan. She never told anyone she supported Jim Rogan."

True. She's not a flip flopper on this one. She hates the scumbag. Period.