Dems Agree to Expand Domestic Spying, Grant Telecoms Amnesty

**Deku Trii** · 06-20-2008, 08:10 AM

Breaking months of acrimonious deadlock, House and Senate leaders from both parties have agreed to a bill that gives the nation's spy agencies the power to turn a wide swath of domestic communication companies into intelligence-gathering operations, and that puts an end to court challenges to telecoms such as AT&T that aided the government's secret, five-year warrantless wiretapping program.

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As a side note, could they have picked a more smug looking picture of Bush?

**Crazyswordsman** · 06-20-2008, 07:03 PM

That's the problem with the current leadership in Washington. -CSM

Lurch1982 · 06-20-2008, 09:15 PM

Not really unexpected. This is like the third or fourth reasons why Pelosi, Hoyer and Reid should resign as Speaker and the Majority Leaders respectively.

**Crazyswordsman** · 06-20-2008, 11:21 PM

And this is why I'm supporting Obama. No more of the same old politics. We need to move to the next era. The era of Reaganomics and Christian fundamentalism is finally coming to an end. -CSM

Kil'jaeden · 06-21-2008, 02:09 AM

The Government: Granting Amnesty for Just About Anything, Except Tax Evasion.

**Crazyswordsman** · 06-21-2008, 09:11 AM

^Unless you make over a million dollars a year. -CSM

Kargath · 07-11-2008, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazyswordsman

And this is why I'm supporting Obama. No more of the same old politics. We need to move to the next era. The era of Reaganomics and Christian fundamentalism is finally coming to an end. -CSM

Obama just supported it and helped it pass.

***Cosmonautical*** · 07-17-2008, 01:13 PM

American politics is a joke. What's the point in fighting to protect something you're dismantling yourself?

Prince Toad · 07-18-2008, 12:12 AM

^Yeah, I'm seriously disappointed in Obama about this. I'd expect it from the other ***** Democrats, but I thought better of him. Oh well. Still better than McCain and Hillary.

LinkManDX · 07-18-2008, 09:10 AM

Didn't Obama promise a filibuster on this?

EDIT: Factchecked, he did on October 23, 2007:

Election Central | Talking Points Memo | Obama Camp Says It: He'll Support Filibuster Of Any Bill Containing Telecom Immunity

Lurch1982 · 07-18-2008, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LinkManDX... FACE

Didn't Obama promise a filibuster on this?

EDIT: Factchecked, he did on October 23, 2007:

Election Central | Talking Points Memo | Obama Camp Says It: He'll Support Filibuster Of Any Bill Containing Telecom Immunity

McCain didn't even bother to vote on it.
U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote

FWIW: FISA by itself is important (though it by itself is useless if the Executive doesn't bother to follow it). The sticking point is telecom immunity for warrantless wiretapping, though the bill doesn't clearly close off criminal prosecution. (John Dean has a good writeup on it. FindLaw's Writ - Dean: Barack Obama and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments: In Pledging to Work to Remove Retroactive Immunity for FISA Violations, What Kind of Action Is Obama Contemplating?)

06-20-2008, 08:10 AM	#1
Deku Trii PP&R Mod Current Events Mod Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Texas Gender: Posts: 9,031 Thanks: 521 Thanked 1,099 Times in 583 Posts	Dems Agree to Expand Domestic Spying, Grant Telecoms Amnesty Breaking months of acrimonious deadlock, House and Senate leaders from both parties have agreed to a bill that gives the nation's spy agencies the power to turn a wide swath of domestic communication companies into intelligence-gathering operations, and that puts an end to court challenges to telecoms such as AT&T that aided the government's secret, five-year warrantless wiretapping program. Read More As a side note, could they have picked a more smug looking picture of Bush?

07-18-2008, 09:10 AM	#10
LinkManDX Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Because political usernames ftw Gender: Posts: 3,582 Thanks: 297 Thanked 266 Times in 156 Posts	Didn't Obama promise a filibuster on this? EDIT: Factchecked, he did on October 23, 2007: Election Central \| Talking Points Memo \| Obama Camp Says It: He'll Support Filibuster Of Any Bill Containing Telecom Immunity Last edited by LinkManDX; 07-18-2008 at 09:16 AM.

06-20-2008, 07:03 PM	#2
Crazyswordsman This key doesn't work. Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Booyaville (yeah!) Gender: Posts: 10,791 Thanks: 1,019 Thanked 686 Times in 467 Posts	That's the problem with the current leadership in Washington. -CSM

06-20-2008, 09:15 PM	#3
Lurch1982 Senior Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: DenCo Gender: Posts: 9,850 Thanks: 127 Thanked 365 Times in 192 Posts	Not really unexpected. This is like the third or fourth reasons why Pelosi, Hoyer and Reid should resign as Speaker and the Majority Leaders respectively.

06-20-2008, 11:21 PM	#4
Crazyswordsman This key doesn't work. Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Booyaville (yeah!) Gender: Posts: 10,791 Thanks: 1,019 Thanked 686 Times in 467 Posts	And this is why I'm supporting Obama. No more of the same old politics. We need to move to the next era. The era of Reaganomics and Christian fundamentalism is finally coming to an end. -CSM

06-21-2008, 02:09 AM	#5
Kil'jaeden Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: in your mind Gender: Posts: 2,132 Thanks: 21 Thanked 146 Times in 99 Posts	The Government: Granting Amnesty for Just About Anything, Except Tax Evasion.

06-21-2008, 09:11 AM	#6
Crazyswordsman This key doesn't work. Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Booyaville (yeah!) Gender: Posts: 10,791 Thanks: 1,019 Thanked 686 Times in 467 Posts	^Unless you make over a million dollars a year. -CSM

07-17-2008, 01:13 PM	#8
*Cosmonautical* Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I rub my tilde all over your asterisk Gender: Posts: 28,100 Thanks: 2,151 Thanked 5,338 Times in 2,433 Posts	American politics is a joke. What's the point in fighting to protect something you're dismantling yourself?

07-18-2008, 12:12 AM	#9
Prince Toad Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Rookery Gender: Posts: 11,720 Thanks: 50 Thanked 65 Times in 56 Posts	^Yeah, I'm seriously disappointed in Obama about this. I'd expect it from the other ***** Democrats, but I thought better of him. Oh well. Still better than McCain and Hillary.