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Listen, I've been posting on and off for close to a year here, and I have never once mocked a HRC supporter, or even put HRC down.

Perhaps you ought to get to know me better before accusing me of such stuff and pointing me in the direction of a circle-jerk.  (How is this stuff allowed here?)

My point was merely this: there are a lot of heavyweight Dem Senators out there -- Obama and HRC being the two most obvious.  I'd like it is they were both standing against this, and perhaps this FISA-capitulation train can slow down.

I take DC Wonk at his word, and see no reason whatsoever why I should not.

I always find it interesting how I read so many posts here about how horrible all the Obama supporters are about dissing Hillary all day, every day.  And yet, my experience in reading so many of the comments at this site has been one of reading constant criticism of Obama with many unable to give him credit, no matter what he says or does.  

Dear Senator Obama and related staff:

Please use your influence to kill or postpone the pending FISA amendment until next year.  Let it be known that you fundamentally oppose domestic eavesdropping, and, if elected, will certainly be intent on rolling back or drastically revising failed Bush policies that have unnecessarily endangered our constitutional freedoms and rule of law.

It doesn't matter what he says or does...because if you believe a politician, you're an idiot.

But there is another way to look at this, as well.  That is, the liability here has the potential to be astounding.  From rumors only, it is possible that the government (and the telecoms) have been spying on millions of Americans, maybe tens of millions.  Can you imagine the liability for this, should the first few cases break this open for all to see?

It would be litigation like we have never seen - potentially millions of claims.  People don't like being spied upon, so there would be no shortage of plaintiffs.  And there surely would be no shortage of lawyers trying to cash in - I know I would.

When it comes right down to it, all they care about is protecting party prospects for November. They know they won't pay a price for selling out our civil liberties because the media is presenting it (when they bother covering it at all) as little more than a way to protect those patriotic telecoms from masses of opportunistic lawsuits. The bipartisan cover is the icing. Also, Dems fear that any kind of terrorist act inside the US in the meanwhile would be pinned entirely on the Dems over this, and would be enough to turn the tide of the election. So they will all hold their noses and tepidly condemn, and the leadership will allow it to be brought to the floor. It's all structured to diffuse blame and let them all say they opposed it, and yet it will go through.