my federal representative's stand on this issue. I've just received a reply from Jim Cooper ( TN-05) re: his voting with the republicans:

I voted against the House version of the FISA bill last Friday because I do not think we can risk our national security any longer.  The House version accepted nearly all of the provisions contained in its Senate counterpart.  It does not achieve more than the Senate version, but is instead the product of a partisan political contest. This contest does not make us safer and it does not protect our liberties.  We should put this false dispute behind us and accept the Senate's language.

OK, I get that, he is a bluedog DINO. I don't get what this means:

The House version may not use the words "retroactive immunity" for telecom companies, but it does let these companies off the hook.  
Likewise, it will also not bring the Bush administration's wiretapping activities of the last six years out into the open.  Anything the administration provides may only be reviewed in closed, secret court proceedings.  

???