Cloture Not Reached on Telecom Immunity (FISA)

You have the left saying that the Bush Administration has run roughshod over the Constitution, and has been listening into regular Americans' phone calls, reading their emails and more. The left also says that Bush wants to give the Telecom companies that aided him "retroactive immunity" from any possible future prosecution or lawsuits. That sounds bad.

The right is trying to say that nothing improper occurred, that the Telecoms were doing their patriotic duty--which in this case is anything Bush asked them to do--but for some reason they need retroactive immunity anyhow.

Now, I know a little about this, and so the left side of the argument is far more convincing. But just take off your partisan hat for a moment, and try to parse what the right is saying here. The Telecoms did nothing wrong, and neither did the Bush Administration. But the Telecoms need retroactive immunity for their actions. Does that fly, logically? In my mind, it doesn't make a bit of sense.

So to the continuing debate (rather than cloture), I say hallelujah. For once, the Democrats didn't cave. I'm amazed, but I guess it ain't over yet.

[Excerpt]

Senate votes to keep debate open over foreign surveillance bill

Senate Democrats on Monday defeated a GOP motion to end debate on a bill overhauling U.S. foreign-intelligence surveillance law, setting up a showdown with the White House over whether to protect the phone companies that participated in the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretapping program. . .

Read more at: The Hill