Obama Silent as Democrats Give Bush More Spying Powers

[G_j]

Obama Silent as Democrats Give Bush More Spying Powers

Ari Melber
posted June 20, 2008


Democratic leaders in Congress are poised to grant new spying powers to President Bush and arrange retroactive amnesty for telecommunications companies accused of illegal surveillance, according to a deal announced Thursday evening. Today's New York Times describes the legislation, which the House could vote on today, as "the most significant revision of surveillance law in 30 years" and a "major victory" for the lame duck president. If passed, the bill would constitute the largest capitulation by Democratic leaders since winning control of Congress, an especially striking setback as Democratic voters rally around a presidential nominee who has flatly opposed Bush's spying policies -- and repeatedly promised to challenge the corruption, doubletalk and "politics of fear" that rule Washington.



Yet Barack Obama has been mostly silent as the House caved into White House demands for more surveillance power this week. He has advocated civil liberties and accountability during previous clashes over surveillance, voting against a White House spying bill in August, but Obama has sidestepped the issue this week, despite pleas from supporters. "If Obama remains missing much longer, it may be necessary to issue an Amber Alert for him," wrote Glenn Greenwald, an attorney and Salon blogger who rallied activists to raise over $115,000 in two days to run primaries against Democratic incumbents who undermine the rule of law.



Obama's quiescence on this fundamental issue is disappointing, but not new. In February, I criticized him and Clinton for going MIA during an earlier spying stand-off, when a coalition of liberal incumbents, netroots activists and the civil liberties groups ACLU and EFF successfully beat back Bush's threats to stop a similar bill. Now things are just worse, for Obama and the Congress.



Obama has a much larger mandate to lead the party, yet he is ducking this battle. There is no rationale for Congress to fundamentally alter surveillance policy for Bush's last five months in office, but instead of doing oversight they are granting him more power. The Supreme Court just issued a historic opinion rebuffing Bush and Congress for compromising the Constitution, through the President's lawless detention policies and the Democratic Congress' attempt to authorize them in the Military Commissions Act, yet neither branch appears chastened. And politically, the Democrats' promise of change, reform and accountability risks a hollow ring when they continue to endorse more of the same corporate handouts and failed Bush agenda.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ari-melber/obama-silent-as-democrats_b_108207.html

[izzie]

1. Bush has put us back about 200 years with Dem. help

Hard to see how they could have done it. Guess now they will work on freedom of speech. Lets get rid of that old thing.

[Terry_M]

2. No spine... Was hoping our presidential nominee would actually have some.

[SammyWinstonJack]

11. LOL! Yeah that would be nice, wouldn't it?

[Freddie Stubbs]

12. Perhaps he is just smart enought to know when to pick his battles

[tom_paine]

25. Perhaps. Time will tell all.

[Terry_M]

40. If the constitution isn't important enough...

What is?

[Echo In Light]

3. What oppositional party?

[Marie26]

4. And the liberal blogosphere goes under the bus.

It was only a matter of time.

[stillcool]

6. Perhaps you would not mind..

making a phone call?

Glenn Greenwald
Thursday June 19, 2008 05:39 EDT
Obama, telecoms and the Beltway system

-----------
There is a disturbing tendency on all sides to view Obama through a reductive Manichean lens -- either he's the embodiment of pure transformative Good who is going magically to cleanse our polity the minute he takes office, or he's nothing other than a mindless, passive tool of the establishment whose pretty rhetoric masks a barren ambition for power and who is no better than McCain. Neither of those caricatures is remotely accurate, and a John McCain presidency would be an unmitigated disaster on every level.

But it's critical to keep in mind that Obama is a politician and, like all people, is plagued by significant imperfections. He has largely entrenched himself in, and is dependent upon, the power structure he says he wants to undermine. Uncritical devotion to political leaders, including him, is destructive. Obama needs pressure, criticism, checks, and real scrutiny just like anyone else in power in order to keep him accountable, responsive, and faithful to the principles he claims are the ones driving him.

Pressure of that sort should include demanding that he take meaningful action against this Draconian and lawlessness-enabling bill. This is, after all, a bill which his own party is seeking to pass and justifying their behavior, in part, by claiming that they're doing it to protect Obama politically from being attacked as Weak on Terrorism. If this bill passes and Obama does nothing to stop it, he'll bear significant responsibility for its enactment. Here's his campaign's phone number: [phone] . I'll post other contact information as people leave it in comments.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/06/19/obama/index.html?source=rss&aim=/opinion/greenwald

[Echo In Light]

5. Don't let Bush--and Congress--gut the Constitution!

News Update from Citizens For Legitimate Government
19 Jun 2008
http://www.legitgov.org/
All items are here:
http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news

Breaking: 'The lawsuits will be dismissed.' Deal reached in Congress: Expand govt powers on wiretapping, grant immunity to telecoms 20 Jun 2008 Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress struck a deal on Thursday to overhaul the rules on the government’s wiretapping powers and provide what amounts to legal immunity to the phone companies that took part in President Bush's warrantless eavesdropping program after the Sept. 11 attacks. The deal, expanding the government's powers in some key respects, would allow intelligence officials to use broad warrants to eavesdrop on foreign targets and conduct emergency wiretaps without court orders on American targets for a week if it is determined important national security information would be lost otherwise... Senator Russ Feingold, the Wisconsin Democrat who pushed unsuccessfully for more civil liberties safeguards in the plan, called the deal "a capitulation" by his fellow DemocRATs.

http://markcrispinmiller.blogspot.com/2008/06/dont-let-bush-and-congress-gut.html

[slipslidingaway]

7. Agree K&R n/t

[bdamomma]

8. please call your REPS today to say NO TO HR 6304

NO TO TELECOM IMMUNITY, we have to fight them on this.

[KharmaTrain]

9. A Major Sell-Out

I'm very disappointed Senator Obama has not put a kabosh on this travesty. He knows its a flawed bill and how unpopular it is with not just Democrats but a majority of the American people.

Here's hoping there's a large uproar over the next couple days so this travesty never gets anywhere near asshat's desk.

[Lisa0825]

10. Of course, it's all his fault.

Has Hillary been speaking out on it? I ask because I haven't heard about it if she did. My point being that the blame is shared.

Sure, I'm not happy about this either. But I also won't tear him down for it. If I am going to bitch about holding him accountable, it will be after he's elected and we can afford it. Right now, my focus is on getting Democrats elected.

[gaspee]

16. Snort

Clinton is not the presumptive nominee, this the head of the party. Nice try.

[Lisa0825]

34. Well, judging by all the blame heaped on Obama for everything around here....

some Hillary supporters are still hoping to bring him down.

[barbtries]

13. very disappointing.

i don't get to vote my conscience in november, because i'm in NC. i really believe NC can go blue this election. so, even though i would prefer someone who would restore the constitution, end the war in iraq, quit kissing ass to the corporations, bring education back to the masses, fight poverty, etc, i have to vote for obama. he's better than mccain by mega miles, and my vote may very well really count this election. but if i was back in CA i'd vote for someone else.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

14. He, and the congress," keeping their powder dry" as usual?

They must have a massive store of dry powder by now.

[Lochloosa]

15. Read this thread....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3486877

[gaspee]

17. What the hell

Why are they in collusion with dimson?

There is no freaking reason for this shit.

Maybe Obama isn't speaking up because he wants the power for himself.

Or that might even be the D's rational - they think we're going to win and are excited about the new powers they're giving themselves.

[Raksha]

31. I think he does want the power for himself.

What other reason to be silent when the vast majority of the people are against it? NO president, Democrat or Republican, should have that kind of power! The Unitary Executive...Dubya's real legacy.

This could end up destroying the Democratic Party...I can really see it creating a serious third-party movement over the next four years.

[samsingh]

18. when we win the Presidency back, those spying powers

will belong to us.

it will be funny hearing the idiot repugs complaining about the excesses then.

[AZ Criminal JD]

42. So you favor that?

[samsingh]

45. nope - just trying to find a silver lining so i don't go nuts over this type of shit

[mdmc]

19. Break our hearts!

:woohoo:

[Scout]

20. he can always vote "present" n/t

[cliffordu]

21. Don't be hatin'..... makes you look bitter

[Scout]

24. what hate?

are you making shit up or imagining things?

[cliffordu]

39. Weren't you referring to the 'Present' votes while he was in the

Illinois State Legislature?

[Scout]

48. edit-not worth the effort n/t

[cliffordu]

22. Complete bullshit. I feel for ya.

[H2O Man]

23. Respectfuly disagree.

I believe he has taken the correct position on opposing the administration on this, and has said he will end the current program of spying on Americans when he takes office.

[tom_paine]

26. Yes, he has unequivocally said that.

Perhaps that's "the plan"...let the Bushies have their way and when Obama takes over rely on the fact that he is going to shut the operation down, anyway.

Not a very good plan by Congressional Dems, letting bad laws (which carry the wait of precedence, etc.) pass. That's my opinion, anyway.

[Swamp Rat]

30. One can hope.

[Raksha]

33. It would be nice if actually means that, but I don't trust anyone

at this point.

Re Perhaps that's "the plan"...let the Bushies have their way and when Obama takes over rely on the fact that he is going to shut the operation down, anyway.

What Obama says now means exactly NOTHING! It's a question of whether he'd actually DO it once in office. I feel like calling his campaign and telling them so. I support still support him (for want of a viable alternative) but it's an extremely guarded and skeptical support.

If he becomes president we'll have to be prepared to hold his feet to the fire on many issues, or consider a third party. And I mean seriously consider it!

[tom_paine]

37. I am afraid I agree with you. n/t

[Marie26]

27. Why isn't he saying it NOW?

Obama's the leader of the party at this point & he's been completely silent. Why? Because he WANTS this to pass before the general election so that McCain can't use it as a wedge issue in the fall.

[tuckessee]

28. Because now it counts.

Back then it was just rhetoric to glean votes.

[Marie26]

29. Bingo. nt

[ToeBot]

36. He is, he's saying, "Vote for me and I'll change this bad law that I just helped pass...

...by keeping my mouth shut." No one said he was a stupid politician.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

32. Obama, on FISA and telecom immunity.

Just think of all the omelets that could be made with the eggs over all your faces.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4267654

[MiniMe]

35. I didn't realize that the Senate was debating it, I thought it was the House

[AZ Criminal JD]

43. It's in the Senate next week

[earth mom]

38. C'mon DU-stop living in denial and see this honestly & clearly. NOTHING will change in '09. nt

[Fire Walk With Me]

41. We're wasting our breath on that.

At least we're on record as having said so.

[LWolf]

46. So many prefer the state of denial

to one of the other 57 states.

[havocmom]

44. Perhaps he was busy writing thank you notes to all the GOP in the House

Thank you for expanding powers I will soon come into control of .....

All your phone calls will belong to me!

[dkofos]

47. He better speak up soon or he will lose my vote.