Hopefully everyone is standing with Chris Dodd, who is going to filibuster FISA to stop telecom immunity. Today several blogs/orgs are calling on John Edwards to call on Obama and Clinton and say that he will quit campaigning while they stand with Dodd on this filibuster. Clinton's phone has been busy all day. Stand for the Constitution. Stand with Dodd. Please make calls. Thanks.

EDWARDS/SCHWEITZER '08

And while we're defending The Constitution, I'm very surprised there has been no post today on the 935 documented lies that got us into an UnConstitutional, immoral, illegal occupation of an innocent country. Where is the outrage? Colin Powell was the number 2 liar on the drumbeat to war. How can Hillary Clinton defend her recent statement that Powell is a "distinguished american" who she would send out to heal with the world. WTF? David Wu - you now have 935 reasons for impeachment. Fire up the hearings and let's get our Constitution back.

Why are Democrats rolling over for Bush on this one? Harry Reid is practically running interference for telecom immunity. See for example the Glenn Greenwald post at Salon.com:

"Harry Reid -- who has (a) done more than any other individual to ensure that Bush's demands for telecom immunity and warrantless eavesdropping powers will be met in full and (b) allowed the Republicans all year to block virtually every bill without having to bother to actually filibuster -- went to the Senate floor yesterday and, with the scripted assistance of Mitch McConnell and Pat Leahy, warned Chris Dodd, Russ Feingold and others that they would be selfishly wreaking havoc on the schedules of their fellow Senators (making them work over the weekend, ruining their planned "retreat," and even preventing them from going to Davos!) if they bothered everyone with their annoying, pointless little filibuster.

To do so, Reid announced that, unlike for the multiple filibusters from Republican colleagues, he would actually force Dodd and company to engage in a real filibuster. This is what Reid said:

<i>If people think they are going to talk this to death, we are going to be in here all night. This is not something we are going to have a silent filibuster on. If someone wants to filibuster this bill, they are going to do it in the openness of the Senate.</i>

This is an "Oregon-centric blog" and it happens that both of our Senators are on the Intelligence Committee that produced the FISA telecom immunity and expanded surveillance bill that is being pushed through right now. Ron Wyden voted against it in committee. Please e-mail him to urge him to follow-through on his opposition by actively participating in a filibuster to stop this travesty and educate the public about it. We can not have Senate Democrats "caving" once again out of a fear of looking weak on terrorism. He needs to hear from his Oregon constituents on this so that he does not let his opposition end with the committee vote. http://wyden.senate.gov/contact