Here They Go Again - More Dry Powder on Wiretapping

I wish I could say I was surprised. I wish I could say that I do not think the Dems are helping the Repubs ring the death bell on a representative democracy. But I cannot. And if anyone sees a silver lining in this cloud, please let me know.

Headline of NY Times:

Democratic Concessions Are Expected on Wiretapping

http://www.nytimes.com/...

What are they thinking??? Story below:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 — Two months after vowing to roll back broad new wiretapping powers won by the Bush administration, Congressional Democrats appear ready to make concessions that could extend some of the key powers granted to the National Security Agency.

Bush administration officials say they are confident they will win approval of the broadened wiretapping authority that they secured temporarily in August as Congress rushed toward recess, and some Democratic officials admit that they may not come up with the votes to rein in the administration.

Why else were the democrats voted in except to rein in this administration?? These cowards deserve their approval rating, that is for sure.

More from the Times:

As the debate over the N.S.A.’s wiretapping powers begins anew this week, the emerging legislation reflects the political reality confronting the Democrats. While they are willing to oppose the White House on the conduct of the war in Iraq, they remain nervous that they will be labeled as soft on terrorism if they insist on strict curbs on intelligence gathering.

The House bill would allow the braod NSA wiretapping that has been going on for years. It would supposedly get the foreign intelligence court more involved. The Senate bill is even worse - and why the hell would Harry Reid even allow any bill of this nature come to the Senate floor?

A competing proposal in the Senate, still being drafted, may be even closer in line with the administration’s demands, with the possibility of including retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies that took part in the N.S.A.’s once-secret program to wiretap without court warrants.

Immunity. Did you all get that? Immunity. Farewell checks and balances. I have nothing to add.

•  Hi adigal.......

  Detroit Mark has a diary on this down below..........

  I am so frickin' tired of Pelosi and Co. always making concessions.  What bullshit.

  by Mz Kleen on Mon Oct 08, 2007 at 06:58:56 PM PDT

  •  Oops, sorry. I missed it. I will delete mine

    thanks

    by adigal on Mon Oct 08, 2007 at 07:00:16 PM PDT

  •  How to delete? It is not working!!!

    by adigal on Mon Oct 08, 2007 at 07:02:54 PM PDT

•  Cover your ass:

  that's the name of the game.  Break some laws? Pass another law that says  you can't be prosecuted for your crime.  Yes, the goddamned Dems are enablers, in spite of what they say.  They must think no matter what they do, we'll vote for them. I'm not so sure that's true. We need to let them know that.

  by phrogge prince on Mon Oct 08, 2007 at 07:02:59 PM PDT

•  nofuckingway.

  why am I having this daymare? Do I need more scotch? What will make the pain stop? Can someone PLEASE stop this world and let me get off? (no, not in that sense)

  of course they will cave in. Offucking course.

  by agnostic on Mon Oct 08, 2007 at 07:06:08 PM PDT

  •  I feel just like you do...I am thinking of buying

    a house in Canada, just in case.  While my husband and I are young enough to get in.

    by adigal on Mon Oct 08, 2007 at 07:16:42 PM PDT

    •  I hear New Zealand is nice too

      by lisastar on Mon Oct 08, 2007 at 07:53:11 PM PDT

•  so now the dem leadership is aiding and abetting

  a criminal conspiracy. and expunging the criminal activity carried out by corporations. hmm...
  good ol dems...
  we need to get rid of these worthless users of oxygen...

  by pickandshovel on Mon Oct 08, 2007 at 07:11:16 PM PDT

•  Have to rec link to old diary by blueness

  IMHO, blueness wrote the definitive diary on dry powder.

  Every diary with powder in the title really ought to include a link. "we stand on the shoulders of those who came before" etc. etc.

  by grapes on Mon Oct 08, 2007 at 07:23:02 PM PDT

•  That democratic powder must be medicinal

  I've never seen it do any damage to the Republicans,
  so it must only be in the context of preventing diaper rash after Dems pee on themselves that the saying "keep your powder dry" has any meaning.

  by crystal eyes on Mon Oct 08, 2007 at 07:31:11 PM PDT

  •  It's

    homeopathic not medicinal .. given in the hopes that the reduced dose will somehow change the fact we are dealing with criminals, Democratic leadership is content to count on the 'good will' of Repugs to 'share in the oversight' of the program.

    Fantasies of 'working across the aisle' with their fellow Congress critters apparently has Democratic leaders enthralled with the opportunity to get f***ed once again. They must like it, it's the only explanation I can find.

    Meanwhile, the rest of us watch as the country loses, and Bin-Laden wins.

    by shpilk on Mon Oct 08, 2007 at 07:44:45 PM PDT

•  well surprise surprise

  wonder how long we'll stay mad at Pelosi?  Remember when she got upset for about 5 minutes?

  Well, we'll go back and forth for a few days, asking for the list of those who voted for it, vowing to throw them out of office, and then it will be back to who is better, Hillary or Obama? and in the end she'll get nominated and we'll all vote for her and for every other democrat who starts out with ethics but gets pulled in by AIPAC and the MIC, instead of marching in the streets or calling a national strike which is the only thing these goddam money hungry f***ers understand, and the beat goes on.

  Hey, did you all hear about the buddhist monks who had their heads bashed in by the military in Rangoon. 190 it was at last count...bet all those torture lovers in DC are smiling.

  by lisastar on Mon Oct 08, 2007 at 07:52:36 PM PDT

•  If this happens, I'm done

  This is the final straw for me. If dems can't defend the constitution, I can't defend them. They won't get a single penny or ounce of effort from me.

  by pointsoflight on Mon Oct 08, 2007 at 08:27:06 PM PDT

•  What a pathetic excuse for a political party

  Not one dime of my money and not a minute of my time for this sad-sack bunch of cowards until they stand up to the reckless and immature George W. Bush.

  by Dump Terry McAuliffe on Mon Oct 08, 2007 at 09:02:37 PM PDT