Chris Dodd

I mentioned it before, thought I might as well post video of Dodd's FISA floor speech from the other night. You can view the full speech on Dodd's Senate site, but here's some YouTube:

Shorter Chris Dodd:

This blog has essentially been dormant since the last round of FISA. Speaking only for myself, what went down in February was one of the most demoralizing moments in my political life. I've been out of the picture in large part because the complete and total abdication of leadership by the Democratic Senate caucus, with rare exceptions, left me feeling that the party simply was incapable of functioning at all in line with the interests of the base or even the country. If they were not there for me, if they would not listen to the concerns of tens of thousands of patriotic Americans, if that willful ignorance of what the public was asking of them was to continue to manifest itself in vote after shameful vote, what use would there be in me spending my time and energies trying to make them behave like the leaders that their PACs and fundraising emails make them out to be?

Mssrs. Young and Paine continued to post during the House FISA fight in March, but I can only imagine that they have shared the same feelings of alienation as I.

Proving that it is truly a herpes upon the 110th Congress, FISA is back. Again. With more puss-filled cowardice and contagious fear than ever before.

And again FISA reveals the dank seams of the Democratic Party. The outrages are too many to tally, but I feel I must start at the top -- our party's new leadership: Barack Obama. Earlier this week we learned that Mr. Obama, who had previously pledged to support a filibuster of legislation with retroactive immunity, now thought national security was the unquestionable trump card over the rule of law.

"The bill has changed. So I don't think the security threats have changed, I think the security threats are similar. My view on FISA has always been that the issue of the phone companies per se is not one that overrides the security interests of the American people."

It doesn't surprise me that Obama is putting politics ahead of his word. Clearly he is marching in the footsteps of every other Democratic presidential nominee in modern memory when it comes to general election policies. Democrats, you see, can only win by convincing Republican base voters to vote for them. Hence, Obama must now act like a centrist, or, better yet, a Republican. And what do Republicans do? Fuck the Constitution to scare people into voting for them. Naturally that's what Obama does (can you smell the change being disbelieved by OFBs nationwide?).

But the Bob Shrum-style assfucking of the base wouldn't be complete without the left edge being covered. Stepping bravely into the breach on behalf of Mr. Obama are Party Elders Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer, who both proclaimed their newly discovered, patchouli-doused, Dirty Fucking Hippie credentials by both rushing to oppose the FISA legislation in full, a position neither man had taken in any previous legislative fights. The result? Obama now has the Democratic "leadership" firmly on his left-flank.

And Lo! He is now a centrist! Let he bathe in the glory that Rush Limbaugh's radio audience shall bestow upon him as he is seen as the third coming of Ronald "I Just Made Russia Illegal, Bitches" Reagan.

Or not. Because that won't happen and only ends up pleasing world-renowned throb wankers like Dan Gerstein. In fairness to Mr. Gerstein, though, everything I have ever learned about politics in America tells me that he is a far more important person to please than the Democratic base as far as the Democratic Party elites are concerned. It's not Gerstein's fault that some Important people are politically clueless enough to think that he's right when he opens his mouth.

Moving on...

It's just been announced that FISA will wait until July 8th, after a pleasant vacation cools tempers and gives our Senators more time to not read the critically important legislation in front of them. What should we expect when the fight resumes next month? More losses. Brutal, craven, embarrassing, disheartening losses. Out of 100 voices in the Senate, there are but two real bright spots: Chris Dodd and Russ Feingold.

This week Dodd delivered what I think easily ranks as one of, if not the, most eloquent and important speeches of the Bush era. There are few things that were left unsaid when it came to assessing how evil and unAmerican the pending FISA legislation is. There were even fewer things left unsaid by Dodd, speaking for over two hours late in the night from the Senate floor, about the abuses perpetrated by this administration, approved explicitly or tacitly by this Congress. Dodd was the voice calling out with utter clarity, "Do not go that way, for I can still see and you are blind." Sadly, his colleagues do not have the most basic survival instincts that would impel them to heed Dodd's words. And so they continue to walk towards the cliff that represents the end of America and the start of a horrible tyranny only previously envisioned in the dark thoughts of McCarthy, Nixon, and Kit Bond.

Standing by Dodd's side, again, is Russ Feingold (a man who if there was any justice in politics would be on his way to accepting the Democratic nomination for presidency in Denver this August). While Dodd's words have focused on right and wrong, legislation and Constitution, Feingold has been the whip on his colleagues. He has offered unflinching criticism of those Democrats who cower in the face of Rovian attack ads. And he has voiced his complete and utter disdain for them, in terms that I cannot recall any other Democratic senator ever using. In a radio appearance on The Young Turks Feingold said:

...Ben Mankiewicz: Alright, well, Senator Feingold, without naming names, and I understand you don't want to single out any of your colleagues, what is the overall reasoning, do you think, what is going on with some of these Democrats who might surprise us? I mean, they're not stupid. Well...not all of them anyway. Why are they buying into a notion of a compromise when there really is no giving on the other side?

Senator Russ Feingold: It's the latest chapter of running for cover when the Administration tries to intimidate Democrats on national security issues. It's the most embarrassing failure of the Democrats I've seen since 2006, other than the failure to vote to end the Iraq War. These are the two real sad aspects of an otherwise pretty good record. It's letting George Bush and Dick Cheney have their way even though they're that unpopular and on their way out. It's really incredible.

Cenk Uygur: It is incredible. So, I mean, it leads to the question that everybody's been asking. You know, whether it's our viewers, the readers of the blogs, etc. the actual bloggers, everybody that's paying attention is asking: Why are the Democrats doing it? You know, I got three possibilities. One is caving. They think, "Hey if we give into Bush, we're going to win more elections, and we don't really care about the policy, and the fourth amendment in the constitution are an interesting side note, but I want to win more elections." Number two is, they're scared of their own shadow and they didn't get the memo that the Republicans are grossly unpopular throughout the country, and that President Bush is the most unpopular President in the history of the United States. But if they didn't get that memo, you got to question a couple of different things about their judgment. The third theory out there is that they're complacent that people like Rockefeller signed off on some of these abuses and they get money from the lobbyists. So they don't really want to rock the boat.

Senator Russ Feingold: Well my honest belief is that it's the first two. I don't really see it as having to do with political contributions. I don't see it that they really want to cooperate with this stuff. I see it more as the first two things you said. Having to do with political fear, and, you know, calculations about elections to be honest with you. There are many areas that I think are grossly effected by money. I think it is less true of this, and it has more to do with political fear.

In other words, Lead or Get Out Of the Way says Senator Feingold.

We'll see what the butcher's bill looks like next month after the Senate Democratic caucus gives George W. Bush and Dick Cheney everything they wanted and more. My guess is that no matter what Americans do between now and July 8th, the fix is in. Donate to anyone other than Chris Dodd and Russ Feingold at your own peril. Better yet, give to Accountability Now and try to get better people in office who will lead alongside Dodd and Feingold.

I'm too enraged to write anything thought provoking or witty. The leadership of the Democratic party is a bunch of spineless, cowardly, weak, feckless, cowardly asshats, who all need to be primaried until they die. When they retire from the Senate, we need to primary their retirements. When they die and go to Purgatory (they are too milquetoast, feckless, traitorous and weak to justify their special place in hell, and they sure as shit aren't getting into heaven), I want to primary them there too. Make their lives miserable for all eternity. Seriously, this is beyond pathetic.

How many people failed? The little field where I select who is in the way on my blog form ran out of room before I could add everyone. That's how spectacularly our leadership has failed.

The only thing left to do on this issue is sign the petition over at FDL and pray that the house actually stands up and leads. Of course, that will happen when I start shooting my writing quills out of my nipples, but whatever.

Matt Browner Hamlin has all the gory details on todays spectacular failure of leadership. May God have mercy on their souls.

I should add that Feingold and Dodd were the only ones to rise up and take a stand on this issue in any significant way. (Obama voted the right direction, but never brought it the attention it deserved, which in his position as a candidate he had the ability to really do.) So kudos to them for behaving like Senators instead of little scared children.

One man standing up in the Senate stopped a bad bill from moving forward. Chris Dodd led.

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).

D-Day has a wonderful post about the pathetic problem in our Senate today:

Harry Reid has no problem respecting the one hundred holds from Tom Coburn on all sorts of legislation, but will ignore Chris Dodd's. That's the bottom line, and given that, you have to conclude that Harry Reid is the one doing the holding.

Chris Dodd is heroically calling for a filibuster, but the real issue here is the issue of ignoring the rules of the Senate. Harry Reid is picking and choosing which Senators he will listen to. The fact that Chris Dodd came within one vote of defeating him for Minority Leader back in 2004 wouldn't have anything to do with this, would it?

Harry Reid has set up two rules for the United States Senate; one under the normal standards of conduct that have held for 200-plus years, and one for bills that he really really has to pass or the President will get mad at him. Earlier this year, Reid ignored a hold placed by Sen. Ron Wyden and confirmed an assistant Secretary of the Interior that Wyden had issues with. Sen. Wyden dropped an important amendment into the flawed Intelligence Committee bill on FISA that the President opposes, which would force the government to get a warrant to spy on Americans overseas. I guess we'll see if Reid strips that amendment out of the bill, and if he holds the same respect for amendments that he does for holds.

The point is that Harry Reid has made Tom Coburn the most important member of the United States Senate. He's made Chris Dodd, a member of his own party, irrelevant. And he's made himself into a joke. We cannot go into 2008 with this laughingstock of a leader in the Senate.

Harry Reid loves crazy-ass Tom Coburn and is a vindictive prick. Was that mean? His staffers are brainwashed into thinking he's a God who single-handedly put Nevada on the map. Oops, was that too true?

My colleague on this site, Abijah Adams has called for new Senate and House leaders. While I'd love that, here's my 2c.

Votes for leadership positions are paybacks for campaign donations. Pelosi got where she is because she is phenomenal at raising money and handing it out. Plus she is pretty tough on her caucus, all things considered. Her problems are Rahm/Hoyer (the corporatists) and the presence of so many Bush dogs in the caucus.

We need to hurt Rahm and Hoyer by sending a message that their people are more vulnerable than the protection his $2,000 checks to them afforts.

Pelosi is not going to be defeated in SF--she is Establishment there and Rahm and Hoyer can also raise phenomenal amounts of money, therefore it would be a waste of time and resources to try for any of those three.

What we can do is be consistent about giving through Act Blue and not through the DCCC or any of the leadership PACs in order to dilute these three people's influence simultaneously we should try to pick off a couple of Bush dogs as examples, the way The Club for Growth has done on the right.

We should start with Daniel Lipinski and Al Wynn and maybe Zack Space.

Usually when this Conservative Administration does something illegal there is some huffing and puffing from Democrats, but no Houses are ever blown down.  Today, a story came out about another crime of Bush's and while I figured that this news would be met with awkward thumb twiddling by Democrats (akin to when a transcript of a Downing St. meeting from July, 2002 was leaked to The Sunday Times stating that Bush and Blair conspired to get an Iraq war no matter what, and that it effectively began a year before the March 2003 invasion)

Well, I was wrong: Chris Dodd is demanding our new "non political" Attorney General Mukasey investigate a White House cover up that goes right to Bush himself.  I'll tell you why this is important in a moment.  First, the outrage.

It started when I read this post over at Wonkette about former WH spokesman Scott McClellan's "my job as a liar" memoir and the oopsie bombshell he drops in the book.  Which specific lies, you ask?  There are so very many to choose from -- no, the big one Scottie describes in his book is the about the CIA leak case.  Where our Executive Branch jeopardized National Security...

“I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice president, the president’s chief of staff and the president himself.”

Hey, whoa, what? Our bitter snitch explains that he trusted this president: "The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.” Cry me a fucking river, asshole. 

Wait, but what?  George Bush thought that lying about him breaking the law...  would get his credibility ...back? 

So George Bush made the decision to break laws and undermine the security of the nation in a time of war by exposing the identity of an operative working in South Asian nuclear non-proliferation - and by extension, he cut loose all of of the operative's associates and informants.  All to get his credibility ...back?

Holy retarded Texan shit.

And that's the thing.  If any of us hope to survive another year we have to keep this posse in the White House occupied.  This is a great way to do it.  Because if we leave them alone, they are going to take an ax to everything on their way out.  The next president will find a government wholly dismantled with key screws missing - safeguards removed, you name it... 

The big things will be the plants, conservative movement loyalists plugged into key offices, there will be moles, rules changed by executive order, holes opened up in the framework.  Dozens of executive orders destroying everything from our national parks, to regulatory agencies, to international treaties, to vital Departments in government like Justice, for God's sake. 

The mind boggles. The forces of destruction work much faster than the forces of creation.  It takes longer to build a city on a hill than it does for a Tsunami to wash it away.

The other thing is that we can't allow these criminals to shred every piece of paper in the place - an investigation with an subpoenas will save much of it.  We also can't let this conservative presidency get away with not being remembered as the most hated, criminal, and destructive band of crooks since, well, ever.  This will help. 

America needs to have daily reminders that if you put conservatives in government, they destroy everything.  Too often, Democrats complain that the country is being destroyed by conservative policy, but let it happen anyway.  

Guys, follow Dodd's lead: investigate everything.  Bush already made clear he is going to veto any legislation constructive in nature, he's hell bent on destruction...  so tie him to a chair under oath and grill him for the next 425 days.  Hell, waterboard him.
 

Russ Feingold's hometown newspaper has some praise to share with the good Connecticut Senator, Chris Dodd:

Democracy for America, the grass-roots group formed by supporters of Howard Dean's campaign for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, has been polling its members nationwide in recent weeks to determine if progressives can settle on a consensus candidate. Dodd had been trailing the pack -- lingering in last place. Then, on Monday, as part of a prearranged plan by Democracy for America to distribute e-mails from candidates to the group's lists, Dodd sent out a statement titled: "Restoring the Constitution."

Instead of asking for votes, Dodd wrote: "The Military Commissions Act. Warrantless wiretapping. Shredding of habeas corpus. Torture. Extraordinary rendition. Secret prisons.

"Enough is enough.

"You may have heard that I've placed a hold on any legislation that includes 'retroactive immunity' for telecom companies that helped the Bush administration spy on Americans.

"And if it comes down to it, I'll filibuster.

"This might not be customary, but my ask isn't that you vote for me in the Pulse Poll, it is that you let Democracy for America HQ know how you feel about our fight to restore the Constitution and preserve the rule of law."

If anyone thought that too noble a stance, Dodd added: "I'd like to see a little more spine, frankly, on these issues. Candidates always tell us they want to lead, but a little leadership right now would certainly be welcomed on these questions. We shouldn't have to wait to elect the next president before we finally show the courage to stand up to the grave mistakes made by this one."

The Columnist, John Nichols also points out that moderation in principle is not only a vice but it's also an electoral loser:

How powerful is constitutional renewal as a political issue? Wisconsinites already know. They re-elected Democratic U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, the only member of the Senate to vote against the Patriot Act, by 331,000 votes in the same 2004 election when the more constitutionally cautious Democratic nominee for president was carrying the state by barely 12,000 votes.

Voters reward leaders with spine.