Obama Caves to Bush on Domestic Spying
This is not the change we were promised
Obama speaks at Harrisburg Pa. primary campaign rally.Today the House voted to approve a FISA bill that would provide retroactive immunity for criminal domestic spying violations by Telecom companies and expand Bush domestic spying powers. Here is a link to the vote tally – NJ Republicans Ferguson, Freylinghuysen, Garrett, Saxton and Smith were joined by lone NJ Democrat Sires to vote yes in support of the bad bill – Democrats Andrews, Holt, Pallone, Pascrell, Payne, and Rothman stood up for the Constitution and opposed the bill.
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll437.xml
Waiting until after the vote to take a position on the bill, Obama has finally come forward and issued a statement – looks like Obama reversed his prior strong opposition to both retroactive immunity for criminal acts by telecoms and expanded domestic spying powers. According to Glenn Greenwald at Salon:http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/
“Barack Obama got around to issuing a statement and — citing what he calls “the grave threats that we face” — he just announced that he supports this warrantless eavesdropping and telecom amnesty bill:
Given the grave threats that we face, our national security agencies must have the capability to gather intelligence and track down terrorists before they strike, while respecting the rule of law and the privacy and civil liberties of the American people. . . .
After months of negotiation, the House today passed a compromise that, while far from perfect, is a marked improvement over last year’s Protect America Act. . . .It is not all that I would want. But given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay. So I support the compromise, but do so with a firm pledge that as President, I will carefully monitor the program, review the report by the Inspectors General, and work with the Congress to take any additional steps I deem necessary to protect the lives — and the liberty — of the American people.” [end Obama statement quote]
“Telling Americans that they have to give up basic constitutional rights in order to save ourselves from “the grave threats we face” sounds awfully familiar. Obama has obviously calculated that sacrificing the rule of law and the Fourth Amendment is a worthwhile price to pay to bolster his standing a tiny bit in a couple of swing states.”
[end Greenwald quote]
Link to Obama statement:
http://utdocuments.blogspot.com/2008/06/statement-of-barack-obama-supporting.html
Obama doesn’t make it easy for me but I’m still supporting him. I don’t want this to become a case that by November I can’t tell Obama from a GOP-Republican. I want the candidate to understand why I feel the telecoms must be held accountable. Hoyer is about as liberal as Lieberman. Shame on Obama for this as well as all Democrats that support telecom immunity. Do they not hear us or do they not bother to listen?
How disappointing. I would still rather have Obama than McCain or even Clinton, but still… He should know better. After all, he did teach Constitutional law at the University of Chicago. Yes, he ought to know better.
Disappointed.
Well well, I’m surprised. Good for him, he might actually love this country after all.
Nah, he doesn’t.
At least you libs get a choice! McCain is as close to being a lib as they come.
Disgusted with the entire process, am I.
Sykemanator – presumably you know that this country is founded upon and governed by a Constitution?
Love of country therefore must honor constitution, no?
Some say reality has a liberal bias – is the Constitution now solely the preserve of the liberals?
The right wing has become unhinged.
So sorry, I forgot that the right wing authoritarian warmongers only care about selective portions of the Constitution, like alleged “commander in chief” powers, gun rights, and state’s rights (to discriminate).
So sorry for the confusion.
The chickens are already starting to come home to roost so soon! Hallelujah…and not a shot was fired before he did his curtsy to the Militarists and Telco Tyrants also big contributors. Maybe he needs a reminder : “For whom does the Bell Toll? It tolls for thee Obama and nothing will ever be the same again.” A Harvard Man, indeed!
This guy can pivot:
On this immunity bill, he reverses field.
He’s in charge of his party with Reid, Pelosi and Hillary dumbing down. His party’s in charge of the legislative branch.
His party, “opposed” to the wars in the ’06 election, continues to fund them for another year.
Then, there’s the public campaign financing he’s disavowed.
He’s against NAFTA, unless his aide whispers in some Canadian’s ear that it’s just election year “rhetoric”.
“Crazy Legs” Hersh didn’t change directions this often, as this most mysterious candidate in American history gives us changes in his avowed “beliefs” on his way to the oval office. His score for honesty hovers around his bowling average.
Obama & McCain should get the debate season started with one on the Senate floor in regard to *Telecom Immunity* contained in the newest FISA bill. Looks like Obama will get the *Telecom Immunity* taken out of the bill. I would like to see McCain stand up for his corporate partners in crime by arguing for the Immunity. This is just one of many policies in which Obama shines as McCain whines. Thank goodness for C-Span.
“Given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay. So I support the compromise, but do so with a firm pledge that as president, I will carefully monitor the program.” Obama
“[The bill] does, however, grant retroactive immunity, and I will work in the Senate to remove this provision so that we can seek full accountability for past offenses.” Obama
Last February, when an earlier version of the FISA bill came to a vote, Obama voted for an amendment to strip the telecom immunity provision from the bill. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) voted in favor of keeping immunity for the telecoms.
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/06/21/politics/horserace/entry4200105.shtml
Barak Obama is a pragmatist. He assesses the situation with the information available to him, determines the degree of impact his decision would have in his current position, and recognizes the fact that there is still information he does not have available to him to make a different decision than the one he has made. This careful process he uses at problem solving rather than caving to interest groups or shooting from the hip increases my admiration for him (even if I were not to agree with a decision he would make on a particular issue). Read between the lines.
I had always believed it was the liberals in league with the communists that wanted to monitor all the people, yet it took a republican president to hand them the werewithall to do it unchallenged. No, Obama did not bow to bush. bush handed the next president power that nixon only dreamed of. If McCain loses, and the government finishes taking over the telecoms than the neocons better start watching there backs after giving this much power to the opposition. It won’t be pretty when this fisa is used the same way as rico, on anyone out of the power loop. Watch it rove.