Feingold's Message to Dems on FISA

Yesterday, Russ Feingold spoke at a New America Foundation event where he took questions on FISA:

The Wisconsin Democrat voiced considerable frustration with members of his own party, who, he says, have enabled the sweeping new legislation. "Sen. Dodd and I and Sen. Leahy are going to do everything we can to stop this mistake," Feingold noted, referring to fellow opponents of the bill. "But I’m extremely concerned that not only virtually every Republican... but far too many Democrats will vote the wrong way."
....
[D]espite containing less than a handful of narrow improvements over the February amendments, the new legislation has much wider support among Democratic leaders. Many of them claim the bill represents a worthy compromise.

"That’s a farce and it’s political cover," Feingold said, "Anybody who claims this is an okay bill, I really question if they’ve even read it."

"Democrats enabled [this]," Feingold went on. "Some of the rank and file Democrats in the Senate who were elected on this reform platform unfortunately voted with Kit Bond who’s just giggling he’s so happy with what he got. We caved in."

Let's reiterate this: "Anybody who claims this is an okay bill, I really question if they’ve even read it."

From his position on both the Intelligence and the Judiciary committees in the Senate, I think Russ Feingold has some credibility in making that statement. As further proof, you need look no further than reaction to this House capituation, as Glenn does:

As I documented the other day, even the most extreme right-wing absolutists on spying and presidential powers are happy with the bill. The only dissatisfaction with the bill comes from Democrats and civil-liberties-defending libertarians. How can a bill that makes every Republican, including Dick Cheney, ecstatic, while infuriating huge portions of the Democratic base, possibly be "a significant victory for the Democratic Party," as Hoyer proclaimed it to be?
...

How odd to see The Washington Times, National Review, and the far-right of the GOP celebrating a "great victory for the Democratic Party." I wonder why they're so happy about such a great Democratic accomplishment.

That great Democratic accomplishment, courtesy Pelosi and Hoyer, was once again capitulating to Bush and Cheney. What they didn't do was to convince the majority of their majority in the House that this was a good bill--128 of them, more than half, saw this bill for what it is. A big, sloppy kiss to Bush and Cheney that does nothing but reinforce the idea that the Republicans are stronger on national security and the Dems are powerless to do anything but cave into their dominance.

The silver lining is those 128 Democrats, and the 37 or 38 Senators who supported all of Feingold's amendments that came to the floor in previous debates that actually protected the Constitution, protected our civil liberties. The majority of Democrats in Congress appear to want to do the right thing. Will the Senate Dems and the party's new leader, Barack Obama, recognize that majority and actually, you know, lead?

Not without some pushing. You know what to do will all the numbers below the fold. And here are some toll-free numbers for Congress. Ask to be connected to your Senator:

1 (800) 828 - 0498
1 (800) 459 - 1887
1 (800) 614 - 2803
1 (866) 340 - 9281
1 (866) 338 - 1015
1 (877) 851 - 6437

Dems who are with us but who need to know that we'll have their back if they make this a fight. That includes Dodd and Feingold and those Senators who worked with Dodd to keep the bill from passing last December. Ask them to do it again:

Russ Feingold: Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone])
Chris Dodd: Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone])
Barack Obama: Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
Ron Wyden: Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
Barbara Boxer: Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
Sherrod Brown: Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
Ted Kennedy: Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]

Courtesy Christy at FDL:

Several Senators could use extra contact on this -- uncommitted or wavering Democrats, leadership folks, members of the Gang of 14, and a number of wavering Republicans.  Tell them no telecom immunity -- period.  It is well past time that respect for the rule of law and the role of Congress in the balance of powers was restored:

Name	Phone	FAX
Bayh	[phone]	[phone]
Carper	[phone]	[phone]
Obama	[phone]	[phone]
Inouye	[phone]	[phone]
Johnson	[phone]	[phone]
Landrieu	[phone]	[phone]
McCaskill	[phone]	[phone]
Mikulski	[phone]	[phone]
Nelson (FL)	[phone]	[phone]
Clinton	[phone]	[phone]
Nelson (NE)	[phone]	[phone]
Pryor	[phone]	[phone]
Salazar	[phone]	[phone]
Specter	[phone]	[phone]
Feinstein	[phone]	[phone]
Webb	[phone]	[phone]
Warner	[phone]	[phone]
Snowe	[phone]	[phone]
Collins	[phone]	[phone]
Sununu	[phone]	[phone]
Stevens	[phone]	[phone]
Byrd	[phone]	[phone]
Lincoln	[phone]	[phone]
Reid	[phone]	[phone]
Coleman	[phone]	[phone]
Durbin	[phone]	[phone]
Smith	[phone]	[phone]
Stabenow	[phone]	[phone]
Kohl	[phone]	[phone]
Leahy	[phone]	[phone]
Schumer	[phone]	[phone]

And, for extra bonus points, here is contact information for the Democratic presidential candidate:

Sen. Barack Obama:

Phone: [phone] Toll Free: [phone] FAX: [phone]