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Chris Dodd's Speech Is A Must-See
This is an amazing speech. Before I supported Barack Obama, I was a Dodd supporter. I still wish there had been a way for him to secure the nomination. He's one of the most principled Senators we have, and he's completely fearless. Make no mistake: while I'm extremely unhappy with Obama's position on FISA, I fully support it. The politics are complicated and dangerous, and I believe he's making the best of a horrible situation. But God bless Chris Dodd and Russ Feingold for having the courage to stand on principle.
http://dodd.senate.gov/index.php?q=node/4476
Every American should hear this speech.
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Comments (73)
Thanks, great speech.
June 25, 2008 7:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
We are very lucky to have Senators Dodd and Feingold.
Senator Dodd would make a great VP choice or [maybe even better...] a new Senate Majority Leader.
June 25, 2008 7:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dodd may be principled relative to FISA but he is a whore for commercial and investment banking concerns, having received $5,796,000 from such interests.
Here's what he had to say to the Bear Stearns CEO, during a Senate Banking Committee hearing into the company's collapse.
June 25, 2008 8:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
What. Ever.
June 26, 2008 5:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
I like Chris Dodd and I was really pulling for him to get the VP nod. However, he did screw up and "principled" doesn't exactly fit. Despite this, he really has fought for our Constitutional rights and should be applauded for doing so.
June 26, 2008 12:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Particularly since he has to fight against the so-called leader of the Democratic Party to do it.
June 26, 2008 12:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
My relative pitch abilities are not what they used to be. Was that b-flat?
June 26, 2008 3:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is there any rule against rereading something over and over during a filibuster?
I nominate this speech.
For days on end.
Until people wake up and take note.
June 25, 2008 10:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
I couldn't agree more. I watched the whole hour + invective, and the uppercut came towards the end, after spending the entire body of the speech coming within a hair's breadth of standing on the Senate floor and charging Bush with treason. The first was when he said his daughters will look back on history and ask him what he did to fight immunity and then stating that no member of congress could hide from this question from members of thier own families.
The second came at the very end when he started to read editorials stating that the writers were more eloquent than he. After listening to the whole speech it would be hard to find anyone more eloquent than he was in laying down his arguements.
And the best parts were when he went off script from his prepared remarks. His ad-libs were ferocious and poignant, tying his current argument together with earlier statements. And you can tell he was ad-libing, because during those statments he never looked at his script, even throwing his aides off during the poster session.
June 26, 2008 12:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wow. That was a thorough and spirited argument against telecom retroactive immunity and lawlessness. Thanks for the links.
As a constitutional lawyer and from his past rhetoric I would think Obama concurs with Dodds arguments. I wonder why Obama thinks vocally opposing the FISA bill, as is, would be a negative fir his presidential campaign?
June 26, 2008 1:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
Because the Republicans would tie it around his neck and hang him with it. I don't know how many on the left realize this, but for the majority of Americans, the terms "far left" and "liberal" are pejorative. Caving in to the demands of the far left and being the most liberal Senator in Washington are two most excellent ways to lose an election.
June 26, 2008 5:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
As you know, Obama supports the FISA "compromise" on the basis that national security trumps the law, just as sectarian violence trumps redeployment from Iraq and the needs of the health care industry trump universal health care. Amusing.
June 26, 2008 10:03 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hmmm...I think I hear b-flat again.
June 26, 2008 3:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great speech.
Thanks, BunKitty!!!
June 26, 2008 1:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's a real barn-burner, ain't it?
June 26, 2008 6:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
I read everything you write hrebendorf because you have the most amazing picture: A cat with rabbit ears. Is that your cat or is that something that TPM offered you? If that is your cat(or your spouses cat or if you are that cat's pet/provider/slave)then you are a truly lucky young person!
June 26, 2008 9:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think he's Japanese. They like dressing their cats up and taking photos of them. I just did a search one day and found it.
We figured out that most of the outfits are from Hello Kitty dolls. There's a one kind where it's a cat or whatever, but dressed as a kangaroo or a skunk or some other animal. And the size is just about perfect for cats. One of our cats really likes it when we dress him up as Badtz Maru. It freaks out the other cats really bad, and he seems to see the humor in it. We can't get the thing off of him once it's on.
June 26, 2008 2:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey, pussy-hare. Are you too stupid to realize that in this speech your hero Dodd said that Obama's position is equivalent to justifying torture? You just put the scoring run on first base, you idiot.
"Retroactive immunity is on the table today; but also at issue is the entire ideology that justifies it, the same ideology that defends torture and executive lawlessness. Immunity is a disgrace in itself, but it is far worse in what it represents. It tells us that some believe in the courts only so long as their verdict goes their way. That some only believe in the rule of law, so long as exceptions are made at their desire. It puts secrecy above sunshine and fiat above law." -- Senator Dodd on FISA.
Sit tight, pussy-hare. Someone will be by to water you any minute now.
June 26, 2008 9:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
So? You didn't know that about Obama? Not even when he backed Joe Lieberman over an anti-war candidate?
June 26, 2008 10:03 AM | Reply | Permalink
I knew it, but the pussy-hare has doo doo between its ears.
What worries me about the Dodd speech is it was so disrespectful of Obama's so-called leadership of the Party that I suspect Dodd knows that Clinton as accepted the VP slot. I was hoping she would steer clear of this disaster.
June 26, 2008 10:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe it's Evan, let's start a war with Iran, Bayh, worthless tool that he is.
June 26, 2008 11:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
Funny how the pussy-hares banter dries up when it realizes it's blown it's little foot off. Happens all the time. Amusing.
June 26, 2008 11:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Gosh, bitterness does not become you. I had long enjoyed your posts, so I was disappointed when you had said, months ago, that you would stop posting when the primary ended and a nominee was picked. Now I wonder whether that would not have been all for the best.
June 26, 2008 12:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ah, he's OK. He's just pissed off at me. He'll be fine after he's hurled a few choice insults.
June 26, 2008 12:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're way behind, amigo. This is none of your business. I'm tired of this little creep stalking me and crapping on my threads. You concentrate on MO. I'll take care of the trolls. If you want to see your little pussy-hare friend in action, check out the comments on my latest post. If you want to associate yourself with his ignorance, carry on.
June 26, 2008 12:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why does it totally crack me up that you've assumed I'm little just because my avatar is a cat with rabbit ears?
June 26, 2008 12:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm talking about your intellect and spirit, wiener. Small. Petty. And I'm ready to stay out of your little life any time you start staying out of mine.
June 26, 2008 12:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ain't gonna happen, Chuckmeat.
June 26, 2008 1:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great. Bring your friend Greg with you. He can get a load of your disruptive shit first hand.
June 26, 2008 1:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fair enough. I freely confess that I do not follow either of you two around the internet, so if there is more to the story that I do not know, I am content to remain ignorant. I certainly have no wish to stick my nose into someone else's fight.
June 26, 2008 3:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
No, you're just too stupid to realize that not every issue can be painted in black and white. You don't get it, do you? Just because you're two-dimensional and shallow doesn't mean the rest of the world is as well.
June 26, 2008 12:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
You and your friends are too stupid to realize the Dodd and Feingold are shitting on the so-called leadership of your nominee. You're just not smart enough to experience cognitive dissonance. That's your ass whipping for the day. Back on iggy, pussy-hare.
June 26, 2008 12:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let's see... How did your girl Hillary vote last time telecom immunity came up? Hmmm... Maybe she should be the one to filibuster this, since she's so righteous and all. See below for link and details.
June 26, 2008 12:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who cares? Everyone with half a brain knows I'd be down on Hillary like a ton of bricks if she pulled this shit as leader of the Party. Since she's not leading the Party, she can say or do what she wants. Who cares? Unless she was dumb enough to take the VP slot, she's NY's problem, not mine. But Obama is now the leader of my Party. I expect him to lead it, not act like some junior Senator from Illinois. It was pretty distasteful to hear Lindsey Graham ridiculing Obama this morning for kowtowing to the Progressive wing of the Democratic Party for even objecting to immunity -- even though Graham knows Obama has already folded like a cheap tent. They are going to trash him for verbally opposing immunity, then they are going to trash him for flipflopping when he votes for the bill. I don't mind it if you want to idolize Obama. I do mind it when you and your little friends try to shut down people who think he's selling us out. And I think it's fair to point out that Feingold and Dodd are on our side and that you don't understand what you're saying when you praise Dodd's speech. Dodd is obviously as disgusted by Obama's cave in as I am.
June 26, 2008 1:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Everyone with half a brain is right.
June 26, 2008 1:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why don't you just explain why Dodd's remarks don't apply specifically and personally to Obama, since Obama has declared his intention to support the compromise? You couldn't hurt Obama more by posting that link and praising Dodd if you were a Freeper here to trash Obama's reputation. That thought comes to my mind every time I see you pulling one of these stupid stunts.
June 26, 2008 1:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
They DO apply specifically and personally to Obama. Is that a valid reason to NOT post a link to Dodd's speech? And so what if Dodd and Obama disagree on this? So fucking what, Billy? Are you really so goddamn boneheaded that you can't understand the requirements of running for office? I said it earlier in the thread and I'll say it again: there is NO REASON WHATSOEVER for Obama to pander to voters on the left. He's got an election to win, and anyone who's so strategically naive that they can't understand what's going on here will probably forget to vote on election day anyway.
You have a real anal-retentive view of things, bud. You want your posts and your politicians to remain pristine and sacrosanct. You should loosen up. Your view of how things should be is your view. I'm interested in all views.
Except yours, of course.
(It was a JOKE, Billy. Fucking lighten up and get over yourself.)
June 26, 2008 1:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's not a Progressive argument, is it?
June 26, 2008 1:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Speaking of cognitive dissonance...
June 26, 2008 12:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
The video at the link you provided (thank you by the way), won't play when I click on it. Anyone else having this problem, or have any ideas on how I can make it play? I would really like to see/hear this speech.
June 26, 2008 10:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think the server is just a little overloaded. Give it a minute or so before you give up on it.
June 26, 2008 12:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
It is a good speech. Here's hoping that it manages to wake a few folks up and get them to realize what a bad deal this "compromise" is.
June 26, 2008 12:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
I can't wait to see which way Hillary goes on this. Last time telecom immunity came up, Hillary said she was against it and that she supported a filibuster.
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2007/10/hillary_says_she_would_support_filibuster_of_current_bill.php
Then she didn't bother to show up for the vote. I doubt she'll get away with not voting this time.
June 26, 2008 12:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
The filibuster issue is tricky because of the way cloture is handled in the Senate now. You can make a record supporting "filibustering" the FISA compromise in a couple of ways related to the amendment to remove it.
In order to vote on the amendment, which is sure to be defeated, Reid will have to end the debate on the bill. Someone will have to move cloture. To support the filibuster, you vote no on cloture. That is not the same as actually filibustering the bill by holding the floor until cloture is invoked.
What I demand from Obama as the leader of my Party is that he take the floor with Feingold and Dodd and make Reid or someone else invoke cloture to shut him down. None of this behind the scenes crap that the public can't understand. I want Mr. Smith goes to Washington on this one.
I'm making that demand to my Senators and, if I lived in NY, I'd make it to Clinton and Schumer.
June 26, 2008 1:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Heh. The leader of your Party. Good one.
June 26, 2008 1:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's right, pussy-hare. And I accept responsibility for it. Personally. I'm not blindly following Obama or anyone else. They are my servants. And yours. Start acting like it. If you admire what Dodd said, let Obama know it. Let him know you want him to stand up for civil rights. Stop being a lickspittle. You helped nominate him. Hold him accountable.
June 26, 2008 1:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
What makes you think I haven't? Don't project your sycophancy on me. We all watched your public jerkoff over Hillary. If you think I haven't been critical of Obama, you haven't been paying attention. Which is probably the case.
June 26, 2008 1:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Billy Glad:
I hereby invite you to piss and shit all over this thread to your bitter little heart's content. Post your favorite recipes. Hurl invective. Get cantankerous and mean. Post off-topic stories about problems you're having with the other residents of the group home. Call me names. Question my sanity, my sexuality, my personal hygiene, my appearance--whatever. Have yourself a helluva time. I don't care. Just don't fuck with the link at the top of the page, and I'm cool with whatever you got. Because unlike you, I don't take anything personally except winning this election and keeping John McCain out of the White House. Unlike you, I'm working FOR the Democratic Party--not against it.
So do whatever pleases you. Just don't ask me not to argue with your ENDLESSLY stupid attempts to undermine our candidate, OK? Because it ain't gonna happen. As long as you continue to attack our candidate and our Party, you will remain near the top of my shit list.
June 26, 2008 1:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
You don't argue, pussy-hare. You run into the room screaming personal insults and duck back into your hole. You think being smartassed is being smart. If you were a kid, I'd give you a pass. And you know I would never spam a thread with block posts. That's your style.
June 26, 2008 1:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nah. You're so far above that. You'd rather spam an entire website with your idiotic anti-Obama rants.
As for running into a room screaming personal insults, I invite you to read the above thread.
June 26, 2008 1:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's right. And you're going to get the same treatment every time you come into my thread with personal attacks. I'm bringing them right back to you. You don't want to be ignored? Fine. We'll do it your way. What you do to me I'm going to do to you. Right away and every time. You want to be left alone, leave me alone or speak to the issues and knock off the personal attacks and insults. You want a flame war, you've got it, pussy-hare.
June 26, 2008 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
That sounds like a worthwhile pursuit. Fisticuffs then? Pistols at dawn? A duel. Oh, how exciting!
June 26, 2008 1:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
to hrebendorf----Golly, I hope you're a girl cause I'd be so proud to have a sister just like you! Give it to old Billy Glad good. We were all having such a nice time and he had to come in here and act like such a jerk. I think you're exactly right about Obama. Some people want a candidate who does exactly everything they think he should do without knowing everything the candidate knows to base decisions on. They also want a degree of perfection that is unelectable which may be the reason that we end up with so many republican presidents and so few democratic ones in the last few decades. I don't think Obama has the heart of a jerk and I know for sure I want him to win. Keep writing bunny cat. I love ya!
June 26, 2008 4:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
June 28, 2008 10:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ooh. I think I just shit my pants a little.
Billy, I fuck with you for sport sometimes. It's nothing personal. It's just that you're so fucking easy to tease. Your utter lack of humility makes you a vast, easy-to-hit target. You know as well as I do that there have been times when I've taken your posts seriously. Very few times, but that's only because you rarely post anything that isn't a deceitful, fork-tongued attempt to make a point without actually saying what you mean. And don't think I didn't notice your attempt to be civil when I put up that post about Obama in Portland. And then I had to go and ruin it by teasing you again. Do you think we can ever be friends?
June 26, 2008 1:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
No.
June 26, 2008 1:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well that hurts my feelings... But I'll try to go on.
June 26, 2008 2:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Chris Dodd's Speech Is A Must-See!"
IF you have nothing to do for the next 2 hours, that is.
June 26, 2008 2:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't you guys think the problem is a rubber stamp, secret court, not immunity?
June 26, 2008 2:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
The immunity is far easier to argue against.
June 26, 2008 5:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
BunKitty, BillyG has a point about that speech. It is not obviously consonant with Obama's current stand. We must be honest.
However, I disagree with BillyG that it's all as it it appears to be. Dodd was one of his earlier supporters. I don't think the party has to march lockstep, because I think in a way with Dodd out there, the Dem's are showing that it is a cause near the heart of the party. Also, something Jonathan Alter said resonated, even though Greenwald disagrees.
I don't always agree with Greenwald, but we must hear other voices, even if it to take their argument apart.
Just saying.
Carry on.
June 26, 2008 2:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
You actually read that exhibition of mutual penis envy? What a gal!
June 26, 2008 3:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
I like then both. I can chew gum and walk. I can hold two opposing thoughts in my head at the same time.
What can I say?
I'm multi-talented! ;-)
June 26, 2008 3:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
All right. I have to say it. What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this? :)
June 26, 2008 3:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
I like BunKitty.
I like you.
To paraphrase Rodney King,Can’t we all just get along?
June 26, 2008 3:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think the answer is plain for all to see, no?
June 26, 2008 4:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fuck the unity pony! :-)
June 26, 2008 6:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Unity Pony has quite a foul temper. You’d better hope it did not hear you say that...
June 26, 2008 7:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Okay, then fuck the unity bunny?
June 26, 2008 10:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
There's no Unity Bunny eihter.
There is a BunKitty and he's sorta kind and sweet, in his own inimitable way.
But so are you Gasket, and you don't have to flame him to prove anything.
June 27, 2008 12:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
If you look up thread, BunKitty made an offer. I'm hoping BillyG will change his mind.
June 26, 2008 7:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
If Billy G's point is worth making, I completely agree. But I can't find a way to be unimpressed with Dodd's speech. My problem with Billy stems from the fact that he's still arguing the Obama/Hillary argument. Citing Obama's position on FISA is merely expedient means. He may care about telecom immunity, but that's not the point. The point is to raise doubt about Obama and cause division among his Democratic supporters.
Chris Dodd's argument is valid, and I respect it. Billy still wants Hillary to be the nominee, and that's just crazy.
June 27, 2008 10:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
An incredibly relevant and important speech. Took me a while to get time to read it, but was well worth it.
June 26, 2008 6:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
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