Wait...Maybe Obama Won't Fix This FISA Thing?
 Tuesday, July 1st, 2008

We published an article a couple of weeks ago about the FISA bill, and how Barack Obama may fix the provision that would grant immunity to telecoms like AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint - who are facing lawsuits by consumers who were wiretapped without warrants. However, the fact remains that Obama plans to vote in favor of the bill as is; which gives no guarantee that the immunity provision will be removed.

His support of the bill is receiving harsh criticism from Democrats. In February, though Obama didn't show up to vote for the FISA legislation presented at the time, Barack issued a statement saying "I am proud to stand with Senator Dodd, Senator Feingold and a grassroots movement of Americans who are refusing to let President Bush put protections for special interests ahead of our security and our liberty."

Then why vote for the bill as is? By the way, Senator Christopher Dodd is the one presenting housing legislation that threatens the privacy of Americans' electronic transactions, and Senator Russ Feingold is the co-author (alongside John McCain, of course) of the McCain-Feingold Act, aka the highly controversial Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. We would not be proud to stand with either of those boys!

MSNBC's Keith Olbermann appealed to Barack Obama yesterday to change his mind:

"Buy yourself - and those who have most ardently supported you - something worth more than just class action suits against Verizon.

"Explain that you are standing aside on civil immunity, not just for political expediency, but for a greater and more tangible good - the holding to account of the most corrupt, the most dangerous, and the most anti-democracy presidential administration in our long history...Your duty is clear.

"Vote against the FISA bill, if it still carries that immunity."

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