This evening while under threat of a filibuster mounted by Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, tabled the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act bill that contained retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies that provided access without warrants to the current White House administration's program of domestic wiretapping. The bill, which will expire in February unless re-authorized, is expected to come back before the Senate in January.
Dodd has offered his personal thanks by way of a video on YouTube:
In January 2009 one of the current presidential hopefuls will stand with their hand in the air and repeat the following:
"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
As I watch my children sleep tonight, it is good to know that there is at least one in the Democratic field who has demonstrated an ability to fulfill that oath.
Earlier tonight Matt Browner-Hamlin, the Dodd campaign's chief blogger, reported netroots statistics that included more than half a million emails being sent to the Senate. Many blogs joined the fight and hundreds of thousands of visitors sent messages of support or notes to be read on the floor of the Senate during the filibuster. Even Reid, when announcing the bill would be tabled, referenced the public's outcry on this issue.
"So, this is an issue that the American people are focused on. I've gotten in the last week or so, thousands of inquires from all around the country. This is an issue they understand, they don't like."
Another active organization in the fight today was the Electronic Frontier Foundation. No doubt the EFF will remain an active participant for the duration of the war.
Since you can't have cheers without a few jeers, I'll give the lion's share to Captain's Quarters, The Right Voices and Sister Toldjah (and probably many others I'm not going to waste time to search out). It looks as if some on the right mistook a cloture motion -- which passed by a vote of 76 to 10 -- for a vote that actually meant something important. The vote was the first step and brought the bill to the floor, opening a maximum of 30 hours of debate on the motion. Although I had to leave toward the end of the Senate debate, I don't think the Senate ever got out of this stage to actual debate of the bill.
Of course, the bloggers probably would not have gone there had it not been for confusing reporting.
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