Krugman on Obama and FISA (I can't believe my eyes)

[ProSense]

June 20, 2008, 5:06 pm

FISA

My biggest concern about an Obama administration is that, in the end, he won’t make universal health care a priority. My second biggest concern is that “Unity” means never having to say you’re sorry: that in the name of putting past partisanship behind us, the next administration will sweep the abuses of the past 8 years under the rug, the same way Bill Clinton did in 1993; the result of that decision was that the very same people responsible for Iran-Contra showed up subverting our democracy all over again.

Obama’s support for the FISA bill intensifies my second worry. He did say some of the right things, promising to work to get rid of telecom immunity and hold people accountable. But caving on this bill is nonetheless not a good sign.

I’m with Greg, dday, and Atrios: this is a downer.

(emphasis added)

This is astounding!

When has anyone in media (Krugman works for the NYT) ever been concerned about Iran Contra?

Suddenly Obama makes a statement, in which he promises to remove immunity from the FISA bill, and this is being compared to sweeping Iran Contra under the rug?

Can they wait until he votes?

[tazkcmo]

1. Better be NO, outright.

Not just stripping the one provision. All of it. No.

[JimGinPA]

2. I Think Obama Ran Over Krugman's Puppy...

He's never liked any position Obama has taken.

[Cha]

krugman sounds like craig crawford..

pouncing on Michelle's gig on The View.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

3. Krugman is and has been very openly anti-Obama. This doesn't shock me one bit. n/t

[blogslut]

4. Back up

Wasn't Krugman all about the Hillary? Yet, he claims that the Clinton administration swept Iran-Contra under the rug? And this sweeping of those crimes angered him?

What a fucking hypocrite.

[Oregone]

6. At this point he just seems angry

Lashing out at anything I take it.

[asdjrocky]

12. Wrong.

Paul Krugman was very much behind John Edwards.

[blogslut]

15. And very much Anti-obama

And he still is.

[Oregone]

5. Was any candidate going to make Universal Healthcare a priority?

Is Krugman advocating we vote for Harry Truman's carcass or for Ralph Nader? :)

When is he going to say sorry?

Why isn't he attacking the rest of Congress who are currently doing nothing to hold people publically accountable?

Its almost coming off like he doesn't like Obama. :)

[FrenchieCat]

7. Why not pile on? Since McCain will not be held accountable for anything

by the media.

Why not just bury our own.

After all, Obama's poll numbers need to be brought down.

[still_one]

10. I agree, but it doesn't surprise me, and we will still win in spite of this nonesense /nt

[rockymountaindem]

16. Instead of whining about "piling on" why don't you defend Obama's decision

to support yet more wiretapping over the concerns of people like Feingold? Justify that before you try to shame people who think this isn't a good idea.

[saracat]

17. Sorry but this is an issue that needs discussing.Are you saying we should ignore this?

Neither candidate should get a pass. This wasn't acceptable.

[burythehatchet]

8. Paul, newsflash, she already lost. That dream job in the gubmint shall remain a dream.

[still_one]

9. You are right it hasn't even come to the Senate /nt

[last1standing]

11. Strange. That didn't stop him from supporting Hillary in the primaries.

Krugman is a good economist, but his partisanship is showing a bit here. He needs to decide whether Obama is better or worse than McCain and let people know where he stands.

[tishaLA]

13. Serious question: Could this bill actually pass Constitutional muster?

It strikes me as something so fundamentally in violation of the 4th Amendment that it has no chance of remaining in place when it faces judicial scrutiny. Of course, all of this depends upon someone demonstrating standing and getting it through the courts in a timely manner--and having a supreme court that decides correctly on its constitutionality--but I just can't imagine it being upheld.

[EV_Ares]

14. WAFM - I am confused about this entire FISA thing, have always been against

this bill getting passed, especially the telecom companies. Why Barack was ok with it, I have no idea but I do know I trust him. For one thing I see it as he is running against McSame and can you imagine the flak he would get from that side of the aisle to add on to his soft on terrorism. The rest of the Dems however could have carried the load on that and let him vote the way he did. Maybe there is more to it that we don't know, have no idea and can't imagine what. But I do know I am not going to bitch about his vote. Pelosi on the other hand, it is just in addition to the way she has handled that job since she got it.

@TEOTD same old; same old.

[high density]

18. So we vote for Obama in November or we vote for ??????

WTF Krugman. Are we completely against FISA now or what? I thought the big problem here was the telecom immunity bullshit.

[EV_Ares]

19. Well, I have never liked the FISA bill & certainly have never liked the idea

of immunity for the telecom companies but I am keeping the faith w/Barrack.