It's Bush's end run to escape public scrutiny of the enormity of his lawbreaking against all of us.

[seafan]

House Judiciary Dems: Why We Reject Retroactive Immunity




By Paul Kiel
March 12, 2008, 6:05PM

After holding out for months, the administration finally turned over documents from the warrantless wiretapping program to the House Judiciary Committee. It was a transparent bid to convince Democrats to get on board with retroactive immunity for the telecoms, a plan that largely worked with the Senate intelligence committee.

But, obviously, it didn't work. The Dems, led by Chair John Conyers (D-MI), reviewed the documentation. And in a statement today, Conyers and 19 members of the committee explain in detail why they concluded "that the Administration has not established a valid and credible case justifying the extraordinary action of Congress enacting blanket retroactive immunity as set forth in the Senate bill."

They cite a number of factors as to why it would be inadvisable to remove the issue from the courts and give the telecoms a free pass on lawsuits challenging the program. But the overarching reason seems to be that it's far from clear that the warrantless wiretapping program was legal, as the administration insists. In fact, they write, "our review of classified information has reinforced serious concerns about the potential illegality of the Administration’s actions in authorizing and carrying out its warrantless surveillance program."

The House is expected to vote on the new bill (which Conyers helped write) tomorrow.

From Firedoglake:

There is likely to be a vote this afternoon on the FISA bill proposal in the House. If you have not contacted your Representative about this issue recently, please do so: no telecom immunity, stand up for the rule of law and the Fourth Amendment. While you are at it, please take the time to vote in our poll on which Blue Dog will get pressure for not standing up on this.

As Glenn points out, the House Dems have reviewed the documents given to them by the WH regarding their claim of need for telecom immunity and enhanced unilateral executive powers. And, what do you know, the House (unlike the Senate Intel Committee) calls the justifications for what they are: utter bunk.

.....

This is not, nor has it ever been, about providing protection for the telecom companies. This has always been an effort to keep the American public from knowing what illegal overreaches the Bush Administration has been involved in all along, since well before 9/11. The sole thing that is preventing the telecom carriers from fully litigating their case in court is the Bush Administration assertion of state secrets to keep the public from knowing just how far they have taken this domestic spying. It's a CYA shell game...again and again.

There is a reason John Poindexter was brought back on board for the Bush Administration, given his Total Information Awareness background -- and with Dick Cheney's knowledge of the inner-workings of government and the shifting of its budgetary devices to black ops budget parameters, the public would never have known for certain that the NSA was being used to illegally spy on the American public in contravention of the Fourth Amendment...except that we found out about it.

Just like we found out about the PR gaming and lies that were the foundation for promoting invasion of Iraq. The truth has a funny way of wiggling out from underneath the lies when you least expect it.

What has John Poindexter been up to lately?, November 12, 2007



DOD secretly continued intel program (TIA "data mining" program), February 23, 2006

[rurallib]

1. Call the blue dogs! (list from Kos)

* Rep. Leonard L. Boswell, D-Iowa -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. Marion Berry, D-Ark. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. Robert E. "Bud" Cramer, D-Ala. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. Melissa Bean, D-Ill. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Fla. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. Joe Baca, D-Calif. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. John Tanner, D-Tenn. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. Tim Holden, D-Pa. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. Christopher Carney, D-Pa. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
* Rep. Zack Space, D-Ohio -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]

Call and e-mail the

[seafan]

2. Everyone remember, all these people are up for re-election in November.

Thanks for this list, rurallib. Keep the pressure on the Blue Dogs.

[Orsino]

3. Riiight. And the telecom lobby has nothing to do with it.

I believe that * will do 'most anything to cover his own corrupt ass, sure, but let's realize that he has always been beholden to the corporations that installed him. They also need to protect themselves by protecting him.

[Supersedeas]

4. the enormity will not be televised--back to meaningless polls and Spitzer

[AzDar]

5. K & R...

:kick:

[Wilms]

6. .