FISA Fight: No "Compromise" Because There Is No Crisis, Please

"Compromise."  How come whenever Democrats end up "compromising" on a given issue, they inevitably end up compromising their principles (and giving the administration everything it wants in the process?)

As mcjoan documented yesterday, rumors are rampant that the House leadership will split the Protect AT&T Act, making it easier for the president and his party to get the telecom amnesty they want:

Under pressure to end an impasse over espionage legislation, House Democrats are considering a plan to vote on a bill next week that would give the government broad new eavesdropping authorities but strip out a provision that would protect phone companies from lawsuits.

Senior Democratic aides said the plan would set up a separate vote on the divisive issue of whether to grant legal immunity to phone companies that took part in a secret wiretapping program authorized by President Bush after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"The objective would be to pass something that is less controversial," yet still allow Democrats to register their objections to the immunity provision, said one senior Democratic aide, speaking on condition of anonymity because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and other party leaders have yet to reach a decision on the matter. [...]

Republican officials said they likely would back the proposal to divide the bill into two pieces, as long as there was no delay in taking up the immunity provision. "We would be OK with that as long as the immunity provision [can] become law," said Michael Steel, spokesman for House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio).

Of course the GOP would be ok with it! They love compromise -- when it gives them everything they want.

You would think that Democrats learned something from their past (albeit limited) successes.  Remember when the administration and GOP whipped themselves up in a frenzy over the Social Security "crisis"?  Remember how much pressure there was for Democrats in Congress to act?  And remember all the concern trolling from the right and from the media and the wringing of hands within our own party about how dangerous it would be for the Democrats to, well, not act?  And do you recall how the Democrats stuck by their principles and refused to fall into the ticking-time-bomb trap?

I'm sure you do.  If only House Democrats could remember how that all played out.

Because, with respect to FISA, there is no crisis.  The current law provides for the surveillance of terrorist targets.  And the surveillance that was initiated while the PAA was in effect can continue for one year.  Our government has ample, flexible, and legal tools to conduct thorough and emergency surveillance to keep us safe.

Indeed, the only "crisis" is the Republican Party's panic attack over having telecoms answer for their possibly illegal behavior in a court of law.   Will Blue Dog Democrats throw the Republican Party a lifesaver or an anvil?  Their contact information is below the fold.  Let them know there is no FISA crisis -- and there is no reason to give the administration everything it wants at the expense of the American people.

Update:  For more on how there is no "crisis," check out dday's excellent diary here.

Here are the likely Blue Dog suspects. As long as you're calling, try Hoyer, too: Phone - [phone], Fax - [phone]

• Rep. Leonard L. Boswell, D-Iowa -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. Marion Berry, D-Ark. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. Robert E. "Bud" Cramer, D-Ala. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. Melissa Bean, D-Ill. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Fla. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. Joe Baca, D-Calif. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. John Tanner, D-Tenn. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. Tim Holden, D-Pa. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. Christopher Carney, D-Pa. -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
• Rep. Zack Space, D-Ohio -- Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]