Lost in the uproar over the Democratic surrender on the FISA bill is any discussion of why there is one at all.  Can someone please point me to a reasoned discussion of exactly what ‘improvements’ this new bill makes to the existing FISA law … and more importantly, why those changes are necessary at all?

 

Sorry folks, but "I will work in the Senate to remove this provision .." is a dodge, plain and simple.

1.  Immunity was already passed in a previous Senate bill.  It was the House that took a stand.  What shred of evidence is there to suggest that it will be stripped out this time?

2.  Sen. Obama failed to say "I will not support this compromise bill if it contains immunity".  Contrast that unequivocal stance against what he did say.

3.  The complete absence of any hyperbolic arguments (or any at all for that matter)  as to why having this bill go down in defeat is a sure indicator that nobody is worried about that outcome - especially the Repubs and the Blue Dogs.

It's a done deal folks. 

Obama's statement in support of the FISA bill has dashed what hope I had that this just might be somebody different.  I feel played.

Sure he said he'd work to remove the immunity provision, but what he didn't say is that he would not VOTE for the bill if immunity remained in it.

The pattern of the last few days is the typical slide back into centrism, the morass from which the Dems have yet to extricate themselves.  The endorsement of Barrow in GA, the abandonment of his "...I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election" pledge as he never even attempted to pursue an agreement, and now caving in on FISA.

I'm familiar with all the arguments of how politically necessary (or astute) it was to take each of these positions, but taken together it's a clear trend of walking away from the people who so fervently supported him in the primary battles.  This is a slippery slope I expect to see the trend accelerate.

Against my better judgement I allowed my hopes to get raised.  And now it looks like it's turning out the same way it always does as people like me, who want to see somebody take on the status quo, or tossed aside into the gutter once our support has been used to advantage and is now taken for granted.