Dodd and Feingold to filibuster FISA capitulation

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Senators Chris Doss and Russ Feingold announced yesterday that they will filibuster the FISA bill (and Harry Reid will support them). This is from their statement:

This is a deeply flawed bill, which does nothing more than offer retroactive immunity by another name. We strongly urge our colleagues to reject this so-called 'compromise' legislation and oppose any efforts to consider this bill in its current form. We will oppose efforts to end debate on this bill as long as it provides retroactive immunity for the telecommunications companies that may have participated in the President's warrantless wiretapping program, and as long as it fails to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans.

Here are two Democrats who are not willing to capitulate -- unlike some Democrats and almost all Republicans (who of course don't see it as capitulation) -- and who are prepared to stand up for the basic constitutional right of Americans to be free of unwarranted government surveillance and against the corporate enablers of Bush's culture-of-fear-based police state.

Dodd and Feingold are absolutely right -- and they deserve our appreciation, admiration, and support.

(For more from us on the disgusting FISA capitulation, see the very fine posts of Carol, Creature, Fogg, and Libby.)