So now we have the new story outlining how Jane Harman got herself compromised by making a quid pro quo with an Israeli agent, and it turns out the Bush Administration may have blackmailed her into going along with the Warrantless Wiretap program (also check out the Rec List). I thought it might be an opportune moment to review Jane Harman's Angry Rant here at Daily Kos, in which Ms. Harman attacked progressive bloggers for pointing out that she sure seemed COMPROMISED ON THE ILLEGAL WIRETAPPING PROGRAM.
Back in 2007, in the heat of the battle over FISA revision, I wrote a diary pointing out that on wiretapping, Jane Harman was a lap dog of the Bush Administration.
Those who crafted the illegal Program, those who authorized the illegal Program, and those who perpetrated the illegal Program are no doubt fearful of prosecution for their role in the illegal Program.
Those in Congress who were given the secret blueprint for this Unitary Executive powerplay, are no doubt also a bit worried that the details of the illegal Program will come to light.
What better way to ease one's troubled soul than to grant immunity for any past illegality associated with The Program?
Jane Harman was removed from her position on the HPSCI after the Congressional changes in November 2006, yet according to a WaPo article today, she is engineering a Democratic capitulation on retroactive immunity behind closed doors:
And as Democratic leaders push their own legislation to rein in the wiretapping program, Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) has been quietly exploring avenues of compromise with Rep. Peter Hoekstra (Mich.), the ranking Republican on the House intelligence committee. Centrist Democrats hope those talks can dovetail with the Senate intelligence committee's own bipartisan measure on surveillance of suspected terrorists.
Other progressive bloggers, such as Glenn Greenwald and Emptywheel also pointed out Harman's failure to say no to the administration. Little did we know that the Bush Administration held a trump card to ensure a compliant Ms. Harman: knowledge of unethical and potentially illegal dealings with a foreign government.... It is still not clear when exactly the quid pro quo took place, nor which Harman actions might have been influenced by blackmail. But I think blackmail could easily explain why she was so excited to log in to Daily Kos and post her defensive rant whining about how innocent she was of being a Republican tool.
What rubbish! For those like me who insist that the President’s domestic surveillance program must comply fully with the Constitution and the 4th Amendment, the only way for Congress to get there is with a veto-proof majority. That's why I'm working with Republicans. Got a better idea?
Allright, it's now clear that they had Harman under their thumb. So now the next obvious question is what did Bush and Cheney have on Jay Rockefeller and Nancy Pelosi, who also gave a pass to Illegal Wiretapping?
Oh and lest we forget, Harman not only gave a pass to wiretapping, but also to the Torture Program.