Politics: Hoyer -- Immunity For Telecoms on the Table

Steny Hoyer tests the political winds...but is he too cautious by half?

Top House Dem Steny Hoyer of Maryland said today that Democrats would "consider" what President Bush and his telecom cronies want desperately : immunity from prosecution. It is now clear that major telecom companies in the United States broke the law at the behest of the Bush administration and spied illegally on Americans. We still do not know the extent of the illegal activity -- nor will we ever if the freedom haters in the White House have their way. House Majority leader Hoyer points out reasonably ""We have not received documentation as to what in fact was done, for which we've been asked to give immunity..." Today the President made clear that no such documentation will be forthcoming. Democrats should hold the line and send this bill (with or without telecom immunity) to the dustbin where it belongs.

Politics: Dems Ready To Wimp Out -- Again

The New York Times reports that fearful hand-wringing Dems would rather look tough on terrorists than hold the line on privacy rights. See the story here. Keep in mind that the attacks of 9/11 could have been prevented with existing intelligence and the laws that were on the books on September 10, 2001 according to reputable and unbiased sources like the 9/11 Commission's report and Lawrence Wright's essential Pulitzer Prize winning book The Looming Tower. The problem with Democrats is the fear that they can't sell doing the right thing as well as Republicans have sold doing the wrong thing. Get over it Dems!
Here's a clip that shows us where all of this listening in is going. Also, the phone company doesn't torture. (spoiler alert for those who haven't seen the excellent film The President's Analyst or who don't want to know the next step in listening in) :