Christopher Dodd won a significant battle today when Majority "Leader" Reid withdrew the FISA overhaul that would have given retroactive immunity to telecoms that spied on American citizens.
Dodd left the campaign trail yesterday and flew back to Washington from Iowa to personally lead the charge. Of the four Democratic Senators running for the presidency, he was the only one to do so. "I respect immensely the people who spend a lot of time on these issues. But this is a critical moment," Dodd said on the Senate floor. "This is one of these moments you need to be here for this, to engage in this debate and discussion. They don't happen everyday, but this is an important one. This goes right to the heart of who we are. This isn't about selling your soul, it's about giving it away, in my view, if you don't stand up for these rights."
While he did not technically filibuster the bill, he did debate pretty much non-stop for eight hours, and when he ceded the floor to his Democratic colleagues, he remained engaged in the debate from start to finish. "Everyone who spoke on the floor said they were grateful for Dodd taking a stand," said a staffer to the Senator who asked not to be named. "They said if it weren't for him they wouldn't be having this much-needed debate."
Congratulations, Senator. That one you won today? You won it for all of us, and I appreciate your efforts on behalf of civil liberties and the Constitution. Thank you for standing up. And I mean that from the bottom of my bleeding, liberal heart.
(Hat-tip to Huffington Post)
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