John Edwards came out this evening against the telecom immunity of the FISA bill, currently before Congress, and in full support of Senator Dodd's filibuster.
As if it's not enough that the Bush administration has been illegally spying on Americans. Now, the Bush administration wants retroactive immunity for telephone companies regardless of the legality of their actions in handing over record of Americans in Bush's illegal domestic spying. The The FISA Bill would grant immunity to any telecom company that may have violated the law by assisting the administration in carrying out its illegal wiretapping program by handing over their customers’ private records without a warrant.
The Dodd-Feingold Amendment would strip telcom immunity from the bill. If that fails, Senator Dodd will filibuster:
If after debate, the Senate appears ready to pass legislation granting telecom providers retroactive immunity I will use any and all legislative tools at my disposal, including a filibuster, to prevent this deeply flawed bill from becoming law.
It's official, Dodd will filibuster a bad FISA Bill.
This is a noble gesture and the right thing to do, but without the support of the Presidential candidates, it may not get the traction needed to be effective.
On January 22, Hamsher posted that Edwards would be "the perfect person to lead with this message."
John Edwards is the perfect person to lead with this message. Such an action would illustrate his genuine commitment to change and fighting vested interests in Washington, and hopefully it will channel that intense anti-immunity passion toward his campaign.
Firedoglake
Senator Edwards has been very outspoken about illegal spying on Americans thoughout his campaign.
Last summer, he spoke to a local blogger about this:
Tonight, Edwards pledged his full support for Senator Dodd's filibuster.
Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake reports:
John Edwards on FISA
John Edwards:
In Washington today, telecom lobbyists have launched a full-court press to win retroactive immunity for their illegal eavesdropping on American citizens.
Granting retroactive immunity will let corporate law-breakers off the hook and hamstring efforts to learn the truth about Bush's illegal spying program.
"It's time for Senate Democrats to show a little backbone and stand up to George W. Bush and the corporate lobbyists. They should do everything in their power -- including joining Senator Dodd's efforts to filibuster this legislation -- to stop retroactive immunity. The Constitution should not be for sale at any price."