///Mauerpower///

Mr. President, it could not be clearer that this program broke the law, and this President broke the law. Not only that, but this administration affirmatively misled Congress and the American people about it for years before it finally became public. So if we are going to go back and discuss these issues that I thought had long since been put to rest, let’s cover the full history. Full Audio Full Text

That’s a quote from my state senator, Russ Feingold, beginning his 22 minute smackdown of the freshly passed FISA (foreign intelligence surveillance act) that gives retroactive immunity to telecommunication companies who knowingly and willfully began giving the governement wiretapping access to american citizens before 9/11. Russ has always been there fighting for the right thing to do, for regular Americans and for freedoms we all take for granted.

Bush and Co have been pushing for this hard for nearly a year because once investigators descend down the rabbit hole of the wiretapping program, it’s going to stop squarely at their administration. In fact almost all currently proceeding cases involving illegal wiretapping in this context have been thrown out because of various state secrets provisions that the Bush administration has thrown at them. One of the last remaining lawsuits, detailed here, will probably be thrown out now that FISA passed.

Listening to Russ give the speech I’ve quoted above I can hear the anger and incredulousness in his voice. It’s the same exasperation I would expect of any politician with half a conscience. But it passed through the senate with 69 Yea’s to 28 Nay’s. You know what’s worse than watching as the worst presidency in the history of the United States getting away with committing over 30 felonies over a 7 year period? Feeling like a complete naive fool for thinking the democratic presidential canidate was actually different. That he would actually stand up for what’s right, what’s patriotic, and hopefully, what’s American. But he didn’t.

Obama voted yes.