Yesterday I wrote this letter to my state senators Feinstein and Boxer. This letter follows the recommendation of the new group on barackobama.com which at 1:16PM PT today counted 23,321 persons. You have definitely noticed their overbearing presence on this blog which temporarily affects a healthy balance, as I see it.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/SenatorObama-PleaseVoteAgainstFISA
This letter shows what the senate have voted on today. Senator Obama was present and voted. Senator McCain was absent – not on the floor. Senator Kennedy, ailing, arrived to cast a decisive vote for the Medicare – see statement by Sen. Obama on the HQ blog.
Here is the letter:
“Jul 8, 2008
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Constitution Avenue and 2nd Street, NE
Washington, DC 20510-0504
Dear Senator Feinstein,
I'm a constituent and I urge you to oppose telecom immunity and the
FISA Amendments Act (FAA). As a constituent, I am very troubled that
during this patriotic holiday season, the Senate appears ready to toss
civil liberties and the rule of law out the window, and so I urge you
oppose telecom immunity with every vote that you have when the FISA
bill comes to the Senate floor on Tuesday, July 8th:
Vote "YES" on the Dodd-Feingold amendment, which would strip
telecom immunity from the bill entirely.
Vote "YES" on the Bingaman amendment, which would delay
implementation of telecom immunity until after Congress has received
the Inspectors General report on the president's warrantless
surveillance program.
Vote "NO" on the cloture motion to end debate on the FAA,
And finally, vote "NO" on the FISA Amendments Act, an
unconstitutional and dangerous bill that would radically expand the
president's spying powers and immunize the companies that helped him
break the law.
Sincerely,
(...)”
Now, this is what Obama promised us on July 3 he would do in the Senate:
“I want to take this opportunity to speak directly to those of you who oppose my decision to support the FISA compromise.
This was not an easy call for me. I know that the FISA bill that passed the House is far from perfect. I wouldn't have drafted the legislation like this, and it does not resolve all of the concerns that we have about President Bush's abuse of executive power. It grants retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that may have violated the law by cooperating with the Bush Administration's program of warrantless wiretapping. This potentially weakens the deterrent effect of the law and removes an important tool for the American people to demand accountability for past abuses. That's why I support striking Title II from the bill, and will work with Chris Dodd, Jeff Bingaman and others in an effort to remove this provision in the Senate. (...)” (see my fib blog for the rest)
Now how did Barack Obama vote today? Here is the link:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_110_2.htm
Do your own fact checking. Do not trust anyone, including me. I have done some organizing the facts to see things clear for myself.
I will use my letter form with the recommendations of our Mammoth anti-FISA group to present the votes:
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RECOMMENDATION: “Vote "YES" on the Dodd-Feingold amendment, which would strip
telecom immunity from the bill entirely.”
00164 09-Jul H.R. 6304 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 5064 Rejected Dodd Amdt. No. 5064; To strike title II.
YEAs 32 NAYs 66 Not Voting 2
Obama (D-IL), Yea
McCain (R-AZ), Not Voting
Clinton (D-NY), Yea
Dodd (D-CT), Yea
Specter (R-PA), Nay
Boxer (D-CA), Yea
Feingold (D-WI), Yea Feinstein (D-CA), Nay
Obama promised to vote yes and did so. In accord with the recommendation.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Recommendation:
“Vote "YES" on the Bingaman amendment, which would delay
implementation of telecom immunity until after Congress has received the Inspectors General report on the president's warrantless surveillance program.”
00166 09-Jul H.R. 6304 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 5066 Rejected Bingaman Amdt. No. 5066; To stay pending cases against certain telecommunications companies and provide that such companies may not seek retroactive immunity until 90 days after the date the final report of the Inspectors General on the President's Surveillance Program is submitted to Congress
.
YEAs 42 NAYs 56 Not Voting 2
Bingaman (D-NM), Yea
Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Feingold (D-WI), Yea
Obama voted YES to delay implementation (stay) pending cases – in accord with the recommendation. As he has promissed .
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
RECOMMENDATION:
“Vote "NO" on the cloture motion to end debate on the FAA, - Motion to Invoke Cloture on H.R. 6304 ) “
YEAs 72 NAYs 26 Not Voting 2
Vote Result: Cloture Motion Agreed to
Clinton (D-NY), Nay
Bingaman (D-NM), Nay
Dodd (D-CT), Nay
Boxer (D-CA), Nay
Feingold (D-WI), Nay Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Specter (R-PA), Yea
Only Democrats and one independent voted NAY on the Cloture motion. Obama voted YEA, against the recommendation of the anti-FISA group. And like Specter. Is Specter “the others” of the July 3 statement?
“And finally, vote "NO" on the FISA Amendments Act, an
president's spying powers and immunize the companies that helped him break the law.”
00168 09-Jul H.R. 6304 On Passage of the Bill Passed H.R. 6304; Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978
YEAs 69 NAYs 28 Not Voting 3
Sessions (R-AL), Not Voting
Feingold (D-WI), Nay
Obama voted YEA in support of the passage, as he said he would, and against the recommendation of the anti-FISA group. Again like Specter.
(28 Nays were Democrats only and Sanders-I). Here they are:
NAYs ---28
Akaka (D-HI)Biden (D-DE)Bingaman (D-NM)Boxer (D-CA)Brown (D-OH)Byrd (D-WV)Cantwell (D-WA)Cardin (D-MD)Clinton (D-NY)Dodd (D-CT)Dorgan (D-ND)Durbin (D-IL)Feingold (D-WI)Harkin (D-IA)Kerry (D-MA)Klobuchar (D-MN)Lautenberg (D-NJ)Leahy (D-VT)Levin (D-MI)Menendez (D-NJ)Murray (D-WA)Reed (D-RI)Reid (D-NV)Sanders (I-VT)Schumer (D-NY)Stabenow (D-MI)Tester (D-MT)Wyden (D-OR)
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
No Recommendation:
Specter amendment.
00165 09-Jul H.R. 6304 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 5059 Rejected Specter Amdt. No. 5059; To limit retroactive immunity for providing assistance to the United States to instances in which a Federal court determines the assistance was provided in connection with an intelligence activity that was constitutional.
YEAs 37 NAYs 61 Not Voting 2
(Specter was the only Republican voting YEA of the 37). Obama voted again as promissed to limit the Immunity, like Specter and “the others.”
That's all I have to say for now. It beats me why McCain was not there. Any ideas?
Below is the Medicare cloture bill:
Medicare cloture
Kennedy (D-MA), Yea
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