I kicked in $250 for his campaign for the hold.

I will up the ante for a filibuster.

Ocean of glue — hilarious, thanks for that :)

albert fall @ 1

I kicked in $250 for his campaign for the hold.

I will up the ante for a filibuster.

Me, too, on both counts.

me2

Go Dodd, Go Dodd

Hello again, Jane.

I have seen Obama and Hillary’s non response, anything out of Edwards?

when i called “give em a strongly worded letter Harry’s” office yesterday, the staffer told me that harry had not decided to ignore the hold.

is this right; do we know that harry is not holding?

I’ll ask again…I think Reid is abandoning Senate precedent and comity in not honoring Dodd’s intention to ‘hold’ on the bill. Reid has not done so with any Repbublican ‘hold’. He is attacking and disrespecting a member of his own caucus. Am I wrong?

This is something else we should be paying attention:

An attorney general who believes a president has a permanent right to ignore the rule of law because peacetime is now wartime for ever, is an attorney-general defending the rule of one man over the rule of law. If I were a Senator, (heh, indeed) I’d vote no. This is the faultline of our time. If we are redefining war as a permanent state of being, and redefining presidential authority to give him/her extra-legal and extra-constitutional power to what s/he wants anywhere in the world, including the United States and to its citizenry, then American liberty is in extreme peril. To approve an attorney general who does not dissent from this position is a terrible precedent.

…

I think we’re in denial about this. Following Mukasey’s statements with confirmation would set a precedent we may well deeply regret. Think of another terrorist attack. Think of the Cheney precedents. Think of Giuliani in the White House. Now think of what would be left of democracy and the Constitution the day after.

Andrew Sullivan

i heart jane @ 8

when i called “give em a strongly worded letter Harry’s” office yesterday, the staffer told me that harry had not decided to ignore the hold.

is this right; do we know that harry is not holding?

Harry is not holding.

One down, 40 to go.

To the phones!

BTW,
Major kudos to Ms. Hamsher for her investigative reporting.
She digs up more info than any MSM hack I have seen recently.

I’m wondering about this Comcast story, they are blocking some internet traffic…that might be their leverage in exchange for immunity…just pondering:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21376597/

I tried to call the Reid’s office on my lunch break but just got put on hold in the time I had. I have to commend the Senator though - the small, tinny sound of classical music through a phone is a perfect choice to represent the man.

Is this the breakout issue that Dodd needs? I dunnoh, but he just sold me.

Agreed, as good a thing as any Democratic legislator has done in recent times. As for the rest of the candidates, step up, little to lose, alot to gain.

“Give Em Hell Harry”.

Right: try “Where’s My Hood” Harry: the decision to uphold Coburn’s hold is as nauseating as Reid’s decision to stab Dodd in the back.

Uh..oh…a gas tanker truck, full of gas, was just stolen in Baltimore and is heading toward I-95…

I like Dodd, he’s a Senator, I would think he would poll better.

O/T But I wanted to share:

Calpine filed the biggest bankruptcy of 2005, topping Delphi, Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp.
——-
You know that great economy the Republicans were talking about during one of the debates, what are they smoking?

Bernie Sanders just said on AAR that he will support Dodd in stopping the immunity in FISA.

One more to add to the list.

Chris Dodd showing us once again why he is the only presidential candidate worth a damn on either side. Keep it up.

RevDeb @ 21

Bernie Sanders just said on AAR that he will support Dodd in stopping the immunity in FISA.

One more to add to the list.

I hope they read the 4th Amendment, over and over and over…

From EPU-land last thread:

Mad Dogs @ 106

Folks, while we’re busy hammering Senator Harry Reid for selling out to the Telcos, let us not forget that he is in many ways a “figure-head” for other behind-the-scene Democratic rollovers, including the oily Senator “Chuckles the Clown” Schumer.

This presumes 39 other Senators are with him, doesn’t it?

I kicked and will kick in AGAIN for the fillibuster.

Glorfindel @ 9

I’ll ask again…I think Reid is abandoning Senate precedent and comity in not honoring Dodd’s intention to ‘hold’ on the bill. Reid has not done so with any Repbublican ‘hold’. He is attacking and disrespecting a member of his own caucus. Am I wrong?

Only if your assumptions are wrong. Otherwise, I feel the same way.

Mad Dogs @ 24

From EPU-land last thread:

Mad Dogs @ 106

Folks, while we’re busy hammering Senator Harry Reid for selling out to the Telcos, let us not forget that he is in many ways a “figure-head” for other behind-the-scene Democratic rollovers, including the oily Senator “Chuckles the Clown” Schumer.

AND…ReTHUGlican lite DiFi(I send my husband lottsa war bizzness)

I am hoping his filibuster will include the the type of framing he used to put a hold on the bill in the first place

I like it when we can embarrass anyone that disagrees simply by framing the discussion properly and dodd seems to get it

Just added — YouTube from Dodd. Check it out. He’s pretty impassioned.

Morning Pups!

I decided some time ago that Dodd looked like the most appealing of the announced presidential candidates. Then, I am ashamed to say, I wavered because of his low poll numbers.

I’m back, Senator Dodd.

I will urge my senators to back your filibuster. Absolutely!

THANK YOU SIR!

too bad Majority “leader” (cough cough) Reid is working hard to by-pass a Dodd and help out Bush and Rockefeller (not to mention his patrons - the telecom lobbyists).

Way to Go Harry!

This is the ‘add insult to injury’ part of the deal:

it won’t be the FISA Court that determines who complied with the program. It will be the attorney general:

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004503.php

Thank you, Senator Dodd.

i heart jane @ 8

when i called “give em a strongly worded letter Harry’s” office yesterday, the staffer told me that harry had not decided to ignore the hold.

is this right; do we know that harry is not holding?

“Had not decided” — sounds like he HAD decided, but we’re making him undecide.

Keep it up, people!

Give ‘Em Head Harry!

Same here. I always liked his integrity, the way he comes across in news interviews. This move signaling the courage of his conviction (count on one hand the other Dems that describes) is enough reason for me to send a few dollars his way. Such quality is so rare now. Let’s reward and encourage it whenever it’s demonstrated.

solai @ 33

This is the ‘add insult to injury’ part of the deal:

it won’t be the FISA Court that determines who complied with the program. It will be the attorney general:

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004503.php

Thank you, Senator Dodd.

and that is the kicker, the president’s appointee gets to say who did or did not comply with fisa when asked to do the president’s bidding

how friggin bizzarre

1arryb @ 16

Is this the breakout issue that Dodd needs? I dunnoh, but he just sold me.

Agreed.

I want one of the senators to reveal exactly what pressure was exerted by the White House. Someone, please, let us know what could cause this abhorent bill to be approved.

Mostly OT, but amusing:

“Putin Finds Expedient Hero in FDR”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....eheadlines

The tone of the article is predictably smirking, as if we, Yelstin and the oligarchs didn’t try to dismantle and impoverish the Russian Federation.

RudyTahuti @ 36

Same here. I always liked his integrity, the way he comes across in news interviews. This move signaling the courage of his conviction (count on one hand the other Dems that describes) is enough reason for me to send a few dollars his way. Such quality is so rare now. Let’s reward and encourage it whenever it’s demonstrated.

He’s a yankee, the dumb ass redneck motherfuckers in this country will never elect him.

1,632 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND..

Citizen Hamsher and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:

Jane, is it time to start countin’ heads in the Senate…it looks like the House Democratic caucus “gets it” because they hafta face their constituents in ‘08 too but ken we get a preliminary count of the old progressive “lions” (Kennedy, Kerry, Feingold, Durbin, Harkin…)? It would appear that this issue can’t be spun in the media if it gets to a filibuster, the entire dirty game with the telecoms and the corrupted DC leadership will be exposed.

Mrs. Clinton and the little army of Clinton sycophants on K Street must be shittin bricks.

How about Dodd/Gore in ‘08 or better yet Gore/Dodd?

This whole thing can only be good for democracy in this country…I think the masks are comin’ off and the corporate media are gunna play hell tryin’ ta figure out who is who and who cares on this.

KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE FUCKIN’ AMMUNITION, THE BATTLE FOR DEMOCRACY IS ON!!

BTW, transcript for that youtube above?

Not all of us have spiff audio on our ‘pooters :-P

O.T.

I had a dream last night, Jane. You were the main character. I kind of wrecked your motorcycle. (Even though I have no idea if you have one). But later the motorcycle turned into a car, and then it wasn’t wrecked anymore. There was lot more going on in the dream than that, but it’s all too nutty and discombobulated to post…so I won’t.

Funny world.

Go Dodd!

By the way, did everyone notice that it was Verizon “employee” contributions in last post’s graph?

RevDeb @ 21

Bernie Sanders just said on AAR that he will support Dodd in stopping the immunity in FISA.

One more to add to the list.

We’ll need an army and a plan. If he has to filibuster, there are procedures. Remember the film, I think Mr. Smith goes to Washington. The person doing the filibuster can yield for a question. We need to line up Senators to help him. Also, it seems to me the magic number is 41, because 60 votes will avoid the filibuster, I think. Is this right?

Twisted Martini @ 35

Give ‘Em Head Harry!

LOL

I used to jokingly compare Harry Reid and Alan Colmes.

They look alike and were (I thought) similarly ineffectual.

Now it looks like I need to reconsider this comparison.

The evidence increasingly suggests that Reid isn’t ineffectual.

Reid just appears to be ineffectual because his actions are driven by personal values that are deeply opposed to the longstanding core values of the Democratic party.

I think we have reached a defining moment. Or at least I have.

There are interesting parallels for me with 2003. Then, too, my frustration with the spinelessness of Democrats was reaching a crescendo. Then, it was Howard Dean who rode to the rescue, giving me hope that Democrats would actually stand for something. For about 6 months, his strong stands brought a somnolent Democratic party to life, before he was ambushed in Iowa. But even after Iowa, the attitude of the Democrats was different than it had been before.

This year, the same thing was happening to me. I have become increasingly disgusted with the spinelessness of our so-called Democratic leadership. Now, finally, a Democrat from the Democratic wing of the party has stood up to be counted. He was at the top of my list of presidential candidates anyway, and this helps prove why. Dodd deserves our support! Even if he doesn’t win the presidential nomination, I hope he at least can succeed in giving the Democrats a spine transplant.

Bob in HI

Yesterday, it appears Mukasey changed his tune quite a bit:

Q: Is waterboarding torture?
A: [squishy non-answer - “It depends…”]

Q: Can the President give someone powers that conflict with statutes on the books ? (As executive in a time of war)
A: Yes

Q: Would you support the President’s position wrt assertion of executive privilege even for correspondence not including the President?
A: Yes

And yet… and yet… it does not appear to have dimmed his chances of confirmation at all.

Sen Leahy? Take a page from Senator Dodd’s book and show a little conviction.

Ann in AZ @ 46

RevDeb @ 21

Bernie Sanders just said on AAR that he will support Dodd in stopping the immunity in FISA.

One more to add to the list.

We’ll need an army and a plan. If he has to filibuster, there are procedures. Remember the film, I think Mr. Smith goes to Washington. The person doing the filibuster can yield for a question. We need to line up Senators to help him. Also, it seems to me the magic number is 41, because 60 votes will avoid the filibuster, I think. Is this right?

The procedures of the Senate today are quite different from how they were portrayed in the movie. To begin with we need to study up on the rules that were adopted by this senate.

Jane Hamsher @ 30

Just added — YouTube from Dodd. Check it out. He’s pretty impassioned.

i know it shouldn’t matter, but every time i hear chris dodd speak - i think to myself that he sounds presidential. great voice.

‘course i love what he’s saying too.

BTW, IMO it would be great if during this filibuster he was supplied with reading material regarding things like the Constitution, Bill of rights, checks and balances. One thing I would like to see read is Al Gore’s speech at Constitution Hall on MLK Day 2006. That’d take up an hour or so by itself!

RevDeb @ 21

Bernie Sanders just said on AAR that he will support Dodd in stopping the immunity in FISA.

One more to add to the list.

He’ll back the filibuster and the hold? If so, excellent!

Barack, Hillary? Hello? (I’d mention Edwards, but the Democratic Senate Caucus ignores him now that he’s no longer a Senator.)

Ann in AZ @ 52

BTW, IMO it would be great if during this filibuster he was supplied with reading material regarding things like the Constitution, Bill of rights, checks and balances. One thing I would like to see read is Al Gore’s speech at Constitution Hall on MLK Day 2006. That’d take up an hour or so by itself!

Advise And Consent.

Ann in AZ @ 53

BTW, IMO it would be great if during this filibuster he was supplied with reading material regarding things like the Constitution, Bill of rights, checks and balances. One thing I would like to see read is Al Gore’s speech at Constitution Hall on MLK Day 2006. That’d take up an hour or so by itself!

Reading material ! He should read the posts here on FDL — archives for background and live posts. Someone get him a laptop.

BTW: “I was acting in good faith,” is nothing but a modern variant of the Nuremberg defense, which we established sixty years ago should not hold water.

In the case of the telcos, a judge has already ruled that there’s no way in hell that they were operating in good faith. They knew they were breaking the law. And they knew that they were going to make a lot of money by doing so.

But now we have a bill that validates the good-faith defense and under which the AG gets to decide whether or not the president’s henchmen were operating in good faith. YUCK! FUCKING YUCK!

Kucinich is still my man, but Dodd definitely moved up the list. Money’s tight for me right now, but I’ll see if I can scrape together a little donation to reward Dodd’s feistiness.

Dodd-Gore ‘08!

Anyone know if the telco’s are being sued for violations of Sarbanes-Oxley?

I am a corporate lawyer, versed in director liability and fiduciary duty law, and I have not been following whether the EFF cases have gone after the directors for failing to ensure that the officers of the company obeyed the law.

I congratulate Dodd on being both a man of action and principle.

Jay Rockefeller on the other hand is a sellout piece of sludge. He is doing for the telecoms what Larry Craig wanted in that restroom in Minneapolis.

Bucket warrants that violate 4th Amendment requirements of probable cause. Immunity grants to telecoms for their illegal behavior because well, they are telecoms. Gutting the FISA court which let us face it was already a weak reed protecting our privacy. Backdoor spying on Americans without warrant or any outside oversight. Rockefeller is a disgrace to his office, his country, and the Constitution. If he had any integrity (insert laughter here) he would resign immediately.

He probably still regrets not filibustering the MCA, and the memory of that should make him that much more determined not to make that mistake this time. Hopefully.

Twisted Martini @ 35

Give ‘Em Head Harry!

Give ‘Em Harry’s Head!

Phoenix Woman @ 34

i heart jane @ 8

when i called “give em a strongly worded letter Harry’s” office yesterday, the staffer told me that harry had not decided to ignore the hold.

is this right; do we know that harry is not holding?

“Had not decided” — sounds like he HAD decided, but we’re making him undecide.

Keep it up, people!

here’s a GREAT idea;

telecoms can earn imunity by complete testimony, under oath, indluding all documents, activities and those spied on

hit them with THAT

frame it as so;

“we have to weed out whatever criminal activity has accompanied the illegal gathering of our private information, if any information was requested that did not serve national security we want to know about it, we are certainly NOT going to assume intelectual property has not been improperly obtained”

1,632 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND ..

Citizen Hamsher and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:

Sister Jane, I repeat my question, is it time ta count the “progressive” Yankees in the Senate? How about some “encouragement” to Leahy to not only join the “hold” and back the filibuster but to announce a “hold” on Mukasey? It seems to me that the issues are joined at the hip and that no matter the outcome, a public filibuster fight with C-Span and corporate media attention on the debate will only serve to isolate the fascists from 60 % of the population and only the progressives can win…even if they lose the legislative fight, Mrs. Clinton won’t be able to disarticulate herself from her corporate sponsors and she’ll be toast.

Boy the Democratic Convention looks like it’s gunna be the place ta be in ‘08!!

KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE FUCKIN’ AMMUNITION, WE GOTTA TELL OUR LEADERS WHERE WE’RE GOIN’ SO’S THEY KEN LEAD US!!

John Dean hits it out of the park again.

Sandman @ 20

You know that great economy the Republicans were talking about during one of the debates, what are they smoking?

Labrador.

Kudos to Chris Dodd for stepping up.

retirin’ in five @ 56

Ann in AZ @ 53

BTW, IMO it would be great if during this filibuster he was supplied with reading material regarding things like the Constitution, Bill of rights, checks and balances. One thing I would like to see read is Al Gore’s speech at Constitution Hall on MLK Day 2006. That’d take up an hour or so by itself!

Reading material ! He should read the posts here on FDL — archives for background and live posts. Someone get him a laptop.

Matt Hamlin can give Dodd material from FDL to read on the Senate floor. He’s and FDL friend.

Ann in AZ @ 46

RevDeb @ 21

Bernie Sanders just said on AAR that he will support Dodd in stopping the immunity in FISA.

One more to add to the list.

We’ll need an army and a plan. If he has to filibuster, there are procedures. Remember the film, I think Mr. Smith goes to Washington. The person doing the filibuster can yield for a question. We need to line up Senators to help him. Also, it seems to me the magic number is 41, because 60 votes will avoid the filibuster, I think. Is this right?

If the “old” cloture rules were used today; it would take 67 votes to close debate. That is one the the main reasons that the anti-civil right filibusters were successful.

NorskeFlamethrower @ 65

1,632 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND ..

Citizen Hamsher and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:

Sister Jane, I repeat my question, is it time ta count the “progressive” Yankees in the Senate? How about some “encouragement” to Leahy to not only join the “hold” and back the filibuster but to announce a “hold” on Mukasey? It seems to me that the issues are joined at the hip and that no matter the outcome, a public filibuster fight with C-Span and corporate media attention on the debate will only serve to isolate the fascists from 60 % of the population and only the progressives can win...even if they lose the legislative fight, Mrs. Clinton won’t be able to disarticulate herself from her corporate sponsors and she’ll be toast.

Boy the Democratic Convention looks like it’s gunna be the place ta be in ‘08!!

KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE FUCKIN’ AMMUNITION, WE GOTTA TELL OUR LEADERS WHERE WE’RE GOIN’ SO’S THEY KEN LEAD US!!

Right on!! (my bold)

albert fall @ 1

I kicked in $250 for his campaign for the hold.

I will up the ante for a filibuster.

Great job!

I kicked in $50 yesterday when Jane broke the story about the “hold.” I kicked in another $50 today for his promise to filibuster. I wish I could have done more.

I applaud Dodd. Just for the record, though, Kucinich is the only one running who actually voted against the Patriot Act in the first place.

“No” immunity for telecoms who aided potential illegal “gathering” by the Excutive. Ignorance of the law is no excuse TELCOMS…. It is kind of like a German soldier, who follows an “illegal” order by a superior. Telecoms…. “We claim ignorance of the constitution.” It did not work for “Germans” it should not work for the enabling Telecoms.
“CORPOGOVERNMENT” Jefferson’s worst fears…

Yes Sir Senator Dodd, Fillibuster!!!!

I sent this email to Sherrod Brown’s wife: cschultz@plaind.com

Connie, Just last night, I heard there are plans to disregard Senator Dodd’s intention to place a hold on a FISA bill that includes amnesty for telecommunications companies.

That would be a pretty extraordinary move, but Chris Dodd has pledged to stop this horrible bill any way he can.

So, if the hold is not honored, Dodd is prepared to go to the Senate floor and filibuster. Okay fine.

And where is Sherrod Brown? Why isn’t he all over this and supporting Dodd?

Wil Burns

want to know something funny?

where I live it has always been a republican local government

I am seeing some campaign signs going up and absolutely nowhere to be seen is their party affiliation, they used to boast being a republicat, now they are embarrased to admit it

Me @ 68:

Matt Browner Hamlin is Dodd’s campaign manager.

My note to Dodd, accompanying my contribution today:

Senator Dodd:

Goddammit, stop making me contribute! Yesterday’s bucks were for the hold on the FISA bill. Today’s are for the promised filibuster.

I’m not really that into you, all told; in my book anyone who voted for the unconstitutional Oct 2002 AUMF should automatically be disqualified as a Presidential candidate, regardless of whether they’ve recanted their fecklessness.

But you are standing tall and doing the right thing, and that must be rewarded and encouraged. And Clinton and Obama can rot in hell if they fail to hop, belatedly, on your bandwagon.

I stand with those citizens who’ve got your back on this one. Thank you.

Just sent $50 to Dodd.

Every time a real democrat stands up it costs me.

But it’s dirt cheap compared to what the rethugs have stolen from us all. Money, honor, common decency, pride in our country, faith in democracy, they have tried to take it all.

We will get our honor back, yes, we, will.

Joel

Mukasey

Out of the gate, we get that Leahy is generally leaning toward confirming him.

Day One, Mukasey talks a decent game; his confirmation looks likely.

Day Two, Mukasey give a lot of shitty answers. (Whitehouse drilled him pretty good.)

And still , he appears a lock for confirmation.

What is going on up there? Are they pumping carbon monixide into the hearing room?

wigwam @ 57

BTW: “I was acting in good faith,” is nothing but a modern variant of the Nuremberg defense, which we established sixty years ago should not hold water.

In the case of the telcos, a judge has already ruled that there’s no way in hell that they were operating in good faith. They knew they were breaking the law. And they knew that they were going to make a lot of money by doing so.

But now we have a bill that validates the good-faith defense and under which the AG gets to decide whether or not the president’s henchmen were operating in good faith. YUCK! FUCKING YUCK!

Dodd’s father was a prosecuter at Nuremberg

Has Harry decided to join the GOP? Because that’s the only reason I can see for him treating them with more respect than he gives to his official party.

Reid can’t run anything bigger than a Chihuahua. And it’s probably dragging him.

damn straight
I just ponied up fitty as well.
….and wish it were 1950 more…He has my vote.

joel @ 78

Just sent $50 to Dodd.

Every time a real democrat stands up it costs me.

But it’s dirt cheap compared to what the rethugs have stolen from us all. Money, honor, common decency, pride in our country, faith in democracy, they have tried to take it all.

We will get our honor back, yes, we, will.

Joel

Two questions:

1. Has anyone confirmed this report that Reid is actually going to override Dodd’s threatened hold? I say threatened, because this bill hasn’t come out of committee, therefore there is nothing to place a hold on at present.

2. When was the last time a Senate Majority leader overrode a hold placed by a senior member of his caucus?

Colleen a daily lurker @ 80

wigwam @ 57

BTW: “I was acting in good faith,” is nothing but a modern variant of the Nuremberg defense, which we established sixty years ago should not hold water.

In the case of the telcos, a judge has already ruled that there’s no way in hell that they were operating in good faith. They knew they were breaking the law. And they knew that they were going to make a lot of money by doing so.

But now we have a bill that validates the good-faith defense and under which the AG gets to decide whether or not the president’s henchmen were operating in good faith. YUCK! FUCKING YUCK!

Dodd’s father was a prosecuter at Nuremberg

wow, didn’t know this…that’s quite a candle to lead his path that’s for sure

I just made my first-ever campaign contribution.

Doesn’t Chris Dodd realize that the only serious position one can take is to be in favor of warrantless spying on American citizens with no judicial oversight? Beyond that, the one true sign of seriousness is giving gigantic corporations a free pass to break law. Standing up for the 4th Amendment of the Constitution is so shrill. Good Americans support the President’s ability to spy on people at any time with no oversight.

I would expect Feingold to back Dodd up, and maybe Whitehouse too.

Meanwhile, this is what Obama is up to today:

Filed at 12:45 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Friday the head of the Justice Department’s voting rights division should be fired for saying minorities often die before they hit old age.

John Tanner’s comments came Oct. 5 during a panel discussion on minority voters before the National Latino Congreso in Los Angeles. Tanner was discussing state laws that require photo identification for voting, and he remarked that elderly voters disproportionately don’t have the proper IDs.

”That’s a shame, you know creating problems for elderly persons just is not good under any circumstance,” Tanner said, according to video posted on YouTube. ”Of course, that also ties into the racial aspect because our society is such that minorities don’t become elderly the way white people do. They die first.

Boo Radley @ 71

albert fall @ 1

I kicked in $250 for his campaign for the hold.

I will up the ante for a filibuster.

Great job!

I kicked in $50 yesterday when Jane broke the story about the “hold.” I kicked in another $50 today for his promise to filibuster. I wish I could have done more.

Yesterday, Mr.Solai answered the phone. It was a poll asking about Dem candidates. At the end he was asked to donate. He politely said he couldn’t right now and then said to me that there was no way he could squeeze out a dime this month.
Thank heavens for separate check books.

Ooooo….Dodd/Whitehouse - Feingold AG

Another thing I am wondering, how much did the telecoms make selling their info to Bushco? Or did they give it away?

Dow -210

Ish @ 79

Mukasey

Out of the gate, we get that Leahy is generally leaning toward confirming him.

Day One, Mukasey talks a decent game; his confirmation looks likely.

Day Two, Mukasey give a lot of shitty answers. (Whitehouse drilled him pretty good.)

And still , he appears a lock for confirmation.

What is going on up there? Are they pumping carbon monixide into the hearing room?

Naw, they were too busy adding up their corporate campaign contributions to listen to the answers Mukasey was giving them. If they had looked up from their ledgers long enough they might have noticed the verbal middle finger Mukasey was giving them.

LS @ 87

I would expect Feingold to back Dodd up, and maybe Whitehouse too.

My understanding is that Whitehouse voted for this bill in committee.

Keith @ 83

Two questions:
2. When was the last time a Senate Majority leader overrode a hold placed by a senior member of his caucus?

Precedent means almost nothing when you threaten a politician’s power (aka money).

phred @ 93

Ish @ 79

Mukasey

Out of the gate, we get that Leahy is generally leaning toward confirming him.

Day One, Mukasey talks a decent game; his confirmation looks likely.

Day Two, Mukasey give a lot of shitty answers. (Whitehouse drilled him pretty good.)

And still , he appears a lock for confirmation.

What is going on up there? Are they pumping carbon monixide into the hearing room?

Naw, they were too busy adding up their corporate campaign contributions to listen to the answers Mukasey was giving them. If they had looked up from their ledgers long enough they might have noticed the verbal middle finger Mukasey was giving them.

Yesterday, Mukasey looked scared.

perris @ 84

Colleen a daily lurker @ 80

Dodd’s father was a prosecuter at Nuremberg

wow, didn’t know this…that’s quite a candle to lead his path that’s for sure

perris,
I believe Dodd’s new book is based on letters his father sent home while at Nuremburg.

solai @ 94

LS @ 87

I would expect Feingold to back Dodd up, and maybe Whitehouse too.

My understanding is that Whitehouse voted for this bill in committee.

Nooooooooooooo :{

LS @ 86

I would expect Feingold to back Dodd up, and maybe Whitehouse too.

whitehouse apparently vote for the fisa bill in the senate intelligence committee - the bill that dodd is trying to block (see here and more further down the thread).

but we should try, imo, to get him to come around to supporting dodd.

Thomas J. Dodd (Chris Dodd’s dad):

Both Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson, chief prosecutor for the U.S., and [Thomas J.] Dodd insisted upon a fair and legal trial to prosecute the Nazi war criminals. Dodd accepted Justice Jackson’s offer to join him in Germany. Dodd expected the position to last only several months, but he wound up spending 15 months there. Dodd suggested Heidelberg as the location for the International Military Tribunal, since it had survived the war almost completely unscathed, but Nuremberg ended up being appropriate considering the Nazi leadership had signed its code into law in Nuremberg[6]. Nuremberg was in ruins. In October, 1945, Justice Jackson named Dodd to his senior Trial Board for the Nuremberg Trials, and later in 1946, named him Executive Trial Counsel, putting him in the number-two position at the trials.

LS @ 96

phred @ 93

Naw, they were too busy adding up their corporate campaign contributions to listen to the answers Mukasey was giving them. If they had looked up from their ledgers long enough they might have noticed the verbal middle finger Mukasey was giving them.

Yesterday, Mukasey looked scared.

Why?

albert fall @ 60

Anyone know if the telco’s are being sued for violations of Sarbanes-Oxley?

I am a corporate lawyer, versed in director liability and fiduciary duty law, and I have not been following whether the EFF cases have gone after the directors for failing to ensure that the officers of the company obeyed the law.

FWIW, you might want to call Dodd’s staff. He might not have anyone with your detailed knowledge. IMVHO, what’s missing in the narrative of “retroactive immunity,” is the FROM WHAT. You already provided a glimpse into the desperation that the telco Directors are probably feeling. That’s probably a blue-blood-get-out-of-jail-free-narrative that fits very well into a sound-byte. This whole thing just screams of cover-up for the rich and well connected. Dodd has the bully pulpit to educate the American people about the born on third, thought they hit a triple Republican Directors, who are profiting most from “retroactive immunity.”

Boo Radley @ 102

albert fall @ 60

Anyone know if the telco’s are being sued for violations of Sarbanes-Oxley?

I am a corporate lawyer, versed in director liability and fiduciary duty law, and I have not been following whether the EFF cases have gone after the directors for failing to ensure that the officers of the company obeyed the law.

FWIW, you might want to call Dodd’s staff. He might not have anyone with your detailed knowledge. IMVHO, what’s missing in the narrative of “retroactive immunity,” is the FROM WHAT. You already provided a glimpse into the desperation that the telco Directors are probably feeling. That’s probably a blue-blood-get-out-of-jail-free-narrative that fits very well into a sound-byte. This whole thing just screams of cover-up for the rich and well connected. Dodd has the bully pulpit to educate the American people about the born on third, thought they hit a triple Republican Directors, who are profiting most from “retroactive immunity.”

As John Dean points out on the link above, they may be worried about civil liability, for fines of $10,000 per day per violation.

Colleen a daily lurker @ 80

wigwam @ 57

BTW: “I was acting in good faith,” is nothing but a modern variant of the Nuremberg defense, which we established sixty years ago should not hold water.

In the case of the telcos, a judge has already ruled that there’s no way in hell that they were operating in good faith. They knew they were breaking the law. And they knew that they were going to make a lot of money by doing so.

But now we have a bill that validates the good-faith defense and under which the AG gets to decide whether or not the president’s henchmen were operating in good faith. YUCK! FUCKING YUCK!

Dodd’s father was a prosecuter at Nuremberg

It is kind of like a German soldier, who follows an “illegal” order by a superior. Telecom: “We claim ignorance of the constitution.” The, “Executive told us to do it!” It did not work for Germans…… it MUST not work for the telecoms……..

phred @ 101

LS @ 96

Yesterday, Mukasey looked scared.

Why?

Why scared? I don’t know why, but his figgity fingers, body language, and facial expressions said it.

ralphbon @ 77

My note to Dodd, accompanying my contribution today:

Senator Dodd:

Goddammit, stop making me contribute! Yesterday’s bucks were for the hold on the FISA bill. Today’s are for the promised filibuster.

I’m not really that into you, all told; in my book anyone who voted for the unconstitutional Oct 2002 AUMF should automatically be disqualified as a Presidential candidate, regardless of whether they’ve recanted their fecklessness.

But you are standing tall and doing the right thing, and that must be rewarded and encouraged. And Clinton and Obama can rot in