Jesselyn Radack I think first spotted the linkage.
FISA coming up now was certainly not Obama's choosing. I don't think Pelosi let it come up specifically to screw with Obama, rather, a conflict of legitimate divergent interests. Most House members top priority is bringing federal money home. In some cases, it's the only interest.
The Iraq supplemental had hit an impasse. The Speaker imagined that as in Spring 2007, she could leverage Iraq funding for a chunk of dough for various domestic programs, this time the GI Bill, unemployment extension and flood relief. The Budget negotiation broke down as Bushco drove a wedge insisting the telco bailout be included in the package. Nancy had to go with it, you don't get between a Member and the takehome in an election year. Obama's stuck with the same dilemma.
Ron Kind was the only WI Dem to vote for the FISA bill in the House. He'd made the right sounds on FISA last fall, but his district was hit hard by the floods.
Harkin will be a bellweather in the Senate. Voted for the '07 War funding, issued a release admitting he'd voted for a bad bill, but that it was the price of bringing home draught relief for farmers and a vet care center in Cedar Rapids. Harkin voted to uphold the filibuster of FISA last February. If he flips now, it'll be for the flood relief.
