FISA

For those interested in the FISA battle. Here are some links and commentary. My take is Bush wants telecom immunity to cover the thousands of high crimes and misdemeanors that he has admitted too. Harry Reid worked hard to cover Bush's high crimes and misdemeanors. The republicans had to rub his nose in it and he is now pissed.

1. Glenn Greenwald
2. Tim Tagaris
3. Christy Hardin Smith
4. John Amato on Harry Reid
5. John Amato on Mitch McConnell

And Jane Hamsher's commentary:

The Democrats were ready to give George Bush everything that he wanted on FISA. They used Senate procedure to tank the Judiciary bill, paving the way for the Intelligence Committee bill (negotiated by Jay Rockefeller and the White House) with retroactive immunity for the telecoms. They were all lined up to vote for it save for a few meaningless tweaks; Dodd was going to filibuster but eventually that would end and Bush would get everything he wanted.

The Republicans decided that wasn't enough. They decided they would filibuster the "meaningless tweaks" just to humiliate the Democrats even further, then filed for cloture on the Intelligence Committee bill and scheduled the vote right before the State of the Union address. The Democrats either swallow the Intel bill whole or George Bush gets up there on Monday night and screams about how the Democrats are letting the terrorists win.

The Democrats are now lined up to block cloture on the very bill they were ready to pass yesterday. George Bush will publicly humiliate them for it in the SOTU, and with the Protect America Act ready to sunset on Friday February 1st, the Democrats will either find a way to extend it for another 30 days or give the Republicans everything they want anyway out of fear of being called soft on terrah.

Ah bipartisanship.