We're watching. We're hoping. We're a blogging team with one workstation down and the other swamped with other things going on. We have our ears to the ground. We're paying attention.
We read Glenn Greenwald:
FISA does not expire on Friday. Only the Protect America Act, which amended FISA by increasing the President's powers, expires.
FISA -- which was passed in 1977 and amended multiple times since, including after 9/11 -- continues in full force and effect even if the PAA expires.
So every time you see the media talking about how the Democrats want to shut down the eavesdropping we do on terrorists, quote them Glenn's brilliant little summation. Then tell whoever is spouting such nonsense to STFU.
UPDATE I - PALE RIDER
The Shame of the Show-Me State (Which one, right?) Kit Bond tries to link giving blanket amnesty for telecoms to the issue of whether those companies will help when a child is kidnapped. What a shameless, despicable liar.
Bond tries to claim that the 4th Amendment rights of Americans will be protected--yet, he fails to note that CIA Director Hayden doesn't even understand the 4th Amendment and that DNI McConnel has said that Americans shouldn't expect privacy on the Internet anymore. Hilarious.
Russ Feingold speaks--the Senate should not be having a cloture vote today. The Senate should vote to improve the bill and add amendments.
"The conduct of the minority has been very disturbing on this."
You got that right.
Feingold CALLS OUT THE VICE PRESIDENT. Yes!
UPDATE II - PALE RIDER
Cornyn is crying about "cooperation" like the sob sister that he is. This is what Texas sends to the United States Senate? Good Lord.
The Republicans can lie like no other party. They will say anything to please a few campaign contributors.
Cornyn claims everything was done "within the law."
OK, then why can't we see the documents we need to see? People with clearances are blocked from seeing them. Perhaps we could just stop the fearmongering and admit what this is really about--the Bush administration has been caught spying on their political enemies. Retroactive immunity isn't worth exposing that fact.
Does Cornyn or any other Republican want to bring up Sibel Edmonds? Didn't think so.
UPDATE III - PALE RIDER
Saxby Chambliss--my God, what a tragic waste of a human being--lists a number of things that terrorists could do. All of which are under surveillance now, as they have always been and all of which will be even if this law expires.
Fearmongering is all these crazy bastards are good for. Lying and fearmongering. He doesn't even have an understanding of the legislation. He's just reading the carefully worded misdirection his staff wrote for him twenty minutes ago.
UPDATE IV and FINAL - PALE RIDER
WOW. Looks like their feeble arguments persuaded no one. It appears to be party line. Harkin didn't vote, Nelson didn't vote, and who gives a shit about Lieberman?
YEAs ---48
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Conrad (D-ND)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lincoln (D-AR)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-NE)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)
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