December 17, 2007, Standing up for our Constitution
Quite literally, as Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut...the Constitution State... stood on the floor of the Senate in defiance of his [I don't have enough vile things to say about him] "leader" the worthless piece of *&^% Harry Reid, who took our money and support last year to become majority leader apparently so he could advance the Bush agenda as well or better than Mitch McConnell could. (Even more ironic, as his fellow Connecticut senator, "independent Democrat" Joe Lieberman announced his endorsement not of Dodd, but of Republican John McCain... thus probably killing any chances McCain may have had, and again making all of us ask, just wtf was Al Gore thinking when he picked Holy Joe?)
Anyway, Dodd's somewhat embarrassing-to-Reid maneuver forced Reid to withdraw the piece-of-crap Bush sponsored bill to relieve private telecoms of court liability for their cooperation in brazenly unconstitutional warrantless eavesdropping against citizens' routine communications. Score one for Dodd, who doubtless hurt his already non-existent chances in the Iowa caucuses to stand up for whatever remaining Constitutional protections we have available. (I remind everyone that after Padilla, once the President has "the right" to lock any of us up, forever, for no reason, WITHOUT JUDICIAL OVERSIGHT-- a position the Supreme Court refused to outright repudiate-- the rest of the Constitution seems, shall we say... less reassuring... but I digress.)
Glenn Greenwald treats us to this discussion of whose Senatorial holds Harry Reid will respect, and whose he won't. Hint: Harry never met a Republican hold he didn't like, but never met anything in defiance of the Bush Administration that he did like. If this is what having a Mormon in national office is like (for those who don't know, Harry Reid is a member of LDS)... then Mitt, go home.
Strong kudos to Sens. Kennedy and Feingold for standing with Dodd, to play along with his little run-out-the-clock game... funny how with Harry, its the party opposing filibusters usually has to do all the work... or at least, the party opposing anything resembling sound or decent policy.
It's somewhat depressing, knowing that the other Dem prez candidate senators (Obama and Hillary, of course, and Biden) were busy vote-grubbing, while Dodd almost singlehandedly stood for the Constitution. But he did.
Let me say this: Dodd, interestingly, is the only candidate to whom I have actually contributed financially this cycle. If he is still in it at all come the New York primary, he is now a strong favorite to win my vote over Obama. I urge the rest of you to consider him strongly (here is his contribution link). Hint: THIS is leadership. And THIS is the ballgame.