Chris Dodd gets back to the Senate and is told by his "colleagues" to sit down, stop rocking the boat, and STFU on this telecom immunity stuff.
This just can't stand. We need more Senators who are willing to stand up for the Constitution like Dodd. It's time to take a moment and show a little support...
More after the jump.
As Tim Tagaris points out, when a Senator stands up for the Constitution and makes a fuss over our civil liberties, "justice for rocking the boat is meted out by anonymous aides on the pages of 'Roll Call'"
Democrats said the FISA fight - which could come in the first week or two of the new session - may be an early test of whether Dodd's presidential campaign has caused any significant strains in his relationships with colleagues.
One senior Democratic aide said that while some Democrats could have been irked in the heat of the moment, most understand it is the nature of presidential campaigning for candidates to tackle hot-button issues and to rely heavily on veteran staff for day-to-day work in the Senate.
"I think it's too early to say" whether there are any hard feelings, the Democratic aide said. "But I think you could term it as a key few months for him" in terms of his reintegration into the Caucus. "It will be interesting to watch when he returns," the aide said.
So this is the payback a Senator gets for standing up for what should be a universal American value? For standing against unconstitutional retroactive immunity (and for jeopardizing telecom company campaign donations), Chris Dodd's colleagues in the Senate are planning on telling him to shut up, get back in line, and keep your head down like the rest of us?
No wonder we can't pass a bill.
If Dodd's fellow Democratic Senators don't see the value in taking a strong stance once in a while, I do. And so do thousands of other Americans. Why don't you take a moment and show your solidarity?
Send Chris Dodd an email. Tell him that even if his Senate colleagues are annoyed by his resolve to fight against telecom immunity, you aren't. Tell him that you'll stand with him. Tell him you appreciate him doing his job to serve the American people, not the telecom companies or not his fellow Senators.
Tell him never to sit down and shut up.
(originally posted at The Seminal)
Update: GreyHawk brought up a great point to remember: Telecom immunity = immunity for Bush!
This one is important folks. I know some people don't see the threats behind the words quoted in Roll Call, but this is how Senate Kabuki theater works. Read Tim Tagaris's diary at Open Left for more.