My Senator attempts to explain herself after selling out the Fourth Amendment

I sure have been getting some quintessentially pathetic, lame-assed correspondence from my elected representatives lately. The kind of drivel that makes people think Democrats don't have the intestinal fortitude for knock-down, drag-out, bare-knuckle politics.

First, Emmanuel Cleaver tried to sell me on the notion that "history would impeach" this administration. I was absolutely stunned that he would piss on my leg like that and try to tell me it was raining.

But then, today, Claire McCaskill broke my heart.

I emailed her office expressing my disappointment with her roll-over vote on FISA, in her haste to get her vacation started the day she stabbed me in the back.

Here is her response to my concerns.

Dear [Blue Girl]:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Protect America Act of 2007 (S. 1927). I appreciate hearing from you, and I welcome the chance to respond.

On August 1, 2007, I was faced with a stark reality: the Director of National Intelligence sent a letter warning the Senate of the heightened threat of international terrorism, and urging us to modernize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) before the August recess "to ensure that we do not have critical gaps in our ability to provide warnings of threats to the country". The call to quickly revise FISA in order to reflect developments in telecommunications technology was echoed by four Democratic members of the Senate Intelligence Committee. I chose to heed these urgent warnings. [It did not occur to you that you might be getting played? Seriously? You were a prosecutor! Your bluff was called that easily? Not inspiring my confidence here.]

I voted for two measures to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. I preferred the legislation offered by Senators Rockefeller and Levin; however, it failed to gather the 60 votes needed to pass. I also voted for the Bond-McConnell version, which did receive enough votes to pass. Corresponding legislation was later approved by the House of Representatives, and the President quickly signed the bill into law. [I follow this stuff, too. You should have voted "No" on Bond's bill, too. You sold me out, and you betrayed the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. Ah well, it had a 220 year run. It could have been longer. It should have been longer. But our representation in D.C. is feckless, faithless, and fearful. I am utterly disgusted and appalled by the lack of will I detect on behalf of my congressional delegation. Not one more dime for you, and I have decided that in 2012, you need a primary challenge. I absolutely can not wait until I get a request for cash or shoeleather. i have my rap ready.]

It is important to recognize that this legislation is a temporary fix to provide our intelligence community with the most immediate tools needed to protect our country – it will be in place for only six months, and it cannot be renewed before it is thoroughly reviewed and authorized by Congress. This gives us six months to create a more acceptable permanent intelligence collection process that that allows us to effectively monitor terrorist communications overseas while also protecting the privacy of law-abiding American citizens. I can assure you I will be one of the Senators working hard to re-establish the constitutional protections that have been eroded by this President and this temporary FISA legislation. [I call bullshit. This is NOT just a six-month fix. I read the text. It stays in effect a full 12 months after the sunset. Lie to a gullible sap, if you must. But don't fucking lie to me, I will call your ass on it. Every. Fucking. Time. Telling me you will do the job I busted my ass to elect you to next time ain't good enough. Do the fucking job I got you elected to right the first god-damned time! That I even have to say this disgusts me.]

Again, thank you for taking the time to share your concerns with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any further assistance. [With five years left on your term, you are sure to regret those words. Because I will share my concerns. Frequently. With you, and with the readers of this blog.]

All best,
Senator Claire McCaskill

Like I said...Lame. Lame, lamer, lamest. An absolutely perfect specimen of fecklessness and cowardice. "Oh! The DNI scared me! I grabbed my skirts and jumped on the table shrieking 'Eeek! There are terrorists in the world!'"

Holy Chocolate Covered Christ, Claire! The DNI is a Bush political appointee! Ya think maybe you could have stretched your head around the fact that these jackals might be lying to you to get their mitts on the rest of the fourth amendment? I mean, they lie all the fucking time. Distrust ought to be your default position!

You have the honor of holding the Class I seat that Harry S Truman once occupied. For the love of all that is sacred - start fucking behaving in a matter that indicates you deserve it at least a little.

Some days we have to bestow a dubious honor

I have not proclaimed an Idiot of the Day from the KC Star editorial page for quite a while. But perusing Unfettered Letters a few minutes ago, I was overcome by the urge to just pummel the living piss out of some shallow-end-of-the-gene-pool chickenhawk from Raytown. She is so far gone that I brought Idiot of the Day out of retirement, just for her. (Dubious honor, toots, dubious honor indeed.)

Seems to me the Democrats are wanting us to fail in Iraq. With all the negative rhetoric coming out of D.C., it would seem they don’t want our military to succeed in this war.

Seems like someone has been swilling the kool-aid. It is not a war any longer, it is an occupation, and there is no viable winning strategy.

Sen. Harry Reid declared we had lost the war and the surge would not work before the troops had been completely deployed in June.

That is because the war games that were conducted before hand said we needed 400,000 going in. A “surge” to previous troop levels represented too little, too late. Especially when you are talking about compromised materiel and manpower, all worn out after four years of desert combat.

Gen. David Petraeus was unanimously approved by the Senate. Many of the Democrats who are anti-war now approved going to war four years ago.

Petraeus is not the great white hope, and in fact, he lacks vital skills necessary to secure the peace in Iraq.

Here is the reality of this war: If we take out the troops too soon, the Iraqi people will suffer more bloodshed than the past four years. Al-Qaida will run rampant in Iraq and beyond its borders.

No, you fucking moron, here is the reality…There was no “al Qaeda” in Iraq before the stupid man in charge decided to launch a splendid vanity war. The Iraqi’s hate all foreign fighters, AQI included, and when we are gone, AQI will either flee or be slaughtered.

Capturing and killing al-Qaida members in Iraq is keeping our country safe.

No, you fucking moron, it is creating more terrorists, not keeping you safe in fucking Raytown!

Go to vetsforfreedom.org for information to truly support our troops and their mission.

Go to VoteVets.org or IAVA.org to counter the spin from the right-wing warmongers.

Here is my question for this cowardly whelp and those like her: Why are you so eager to surrender to terrorists?

That is what you are doing, you know. You insist on being terrified of terrorists, and you give them the victory they desire. When terrorists succeed in terrifying, they are successful.

I’ll be damned! I am not giving over to fear. I will fight to keep my civil liberties, and I will retain my dignity, and I will defy those who want me to be cowering and simpering and pathetic. She and her lot will do enough cowering and trembling for both of us, I’m sure.

I’ll take care of the defiance (and the authentic patriotism) for her and her pathetic ilk.