Dodd Leads on Spying, Clinton & Obama Follow

Chris Dodd has drawn a line in the sand, pledging to filibuster any legislation granting immunity to telephone companies that illegally spied on Americans. Now Dodd's leadership has drawn two more Democrats into the fight: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Both say they will back a filibuster of the surveillance bill in its current form, as TPM's Greg Sargent reports.

Joe Biden and Russ Feingold also support Dodd's plan, so there could be a real fight here. On one side are the 'Rage and Cave Democrats, like Jay Rockefeller, who talk about their outrage over Bush's policies, only to cave. The other side has leaders like Chris Dodd, using the power of his office and the platform of his campaign to defend the Constitution. (Dodd has offered similar campaign leadership on Iraq , as my colleague John Nichols reported.)

This battle is headed straight for Harry Reid, who can simply honor Dodd's "hold." It's still unclear why Reid would want to provide a sweeping grant of retroactive immunity to companies that may have illegally participated in domestic spying. Why should they evade all accountability?

Reid acted outraged by President Bush's pardon of Scooter Libby, telling reporters that the act undermined "accountability" and constituted "justice ... undone." But Bush waited until after a verdict to pardon one man. The Senate is poised to pardon scores of people before they ever see a jury. Now that would truly be "justice undone."

MoveOn.org and liberal bloggers are keeping the pressure on Obama and Clinton. The candidates' filibuster statements are a good start, but this fight is not about Senate strategy. It is about leadership and results. Obama and Clinton must show Democratic voters that they can effectively confront Harry Reid, reject Bush's veto threats and pass a strong intelligence bill with accountability and warrants -- not amnesty. If they can't succeed and lead their own political party, why should anyone expect them to lead the country?

Comments (12)

1. "It's still unclear why Reid would want to provide a sweeping grant of retroactive immunity to companies that may have illegally participated in domestic spying."

   Uh, it is? Mr Melber may you should check out how much in CAMPAIGN DONATIONS the telecoms are giving Reid and Rockefeller???

   Posted by Mask at 10/24/2007 @ 07:07am

2. HARRY REID (D-NV)

   Top Industries

   The top industries supporting Harry Reid are:

   1 Lawyers/Law Firms $1,184,488

   2 Casinos/Gambling $509,113

   3 Real Estate $308,450

   4 Lobbyists $295,838

   5 Securities & Investment $268,810

   6 Health Professionals $212,349

   7 Business Services $163,789

   8 Retired $147,450

   9 Insurance $146,610

   10 TV/Movies/Music $143,000

   11 Transportation Unions $135,500

   12 Computers/Internet $128,025

   13 Misc Finance $122,075

   14 Leadership PACs $119,500

   15 Public Sector Unions $112,500

   16 General Contractors $109,200

   17 Commercial Banks $108,896

   18 Mining $104,349

   19 Construction Services $102,150

   20 Pro-Israel $94,200

   Posted by frosty zoom at 10/24/2007 @ 08:18am

3. 1 Lawyers/Law Firms $400,550

   2 Air Transport $158,550

   3 Health Professionals $153,400

   4 Real Estate $93,066

   5 TV/Movies/Music $90,500

   6 Lobbyists $90,017

   7 Retired $85,250

   8 Pro-Israel $73,636

   9 Hospitals/Nursing Homes $73,161

   10 Insurance $69,400

   11 Securities & Investment $69,208

   12 Industrial Unions $63,000

   13 Electric Utilities $57,864

   14 Telephone Utilities $55,200

   15 Transportation Unions $55,000

   16 Business Services $54,550

   17 Public Sector Unions $51,500

   18 Mining $50,450

   19 Education $48,750

   20 Computers/Internet $46,550

   Posted by frosty zoom at 10/24/2007 @ 08:20am

4. oops, that's for

   JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV)

   Top Industries

   Posted by frosty zoom at 10/24/2007 @ 08:20am

5. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV)

   Top Contributors

   1 Kirkpatrick & Lockhart $21,500 2 Delta Airlines $20,550 3 PepsiCo Inc $19,000 4 Information Manufacturing Corp $18,000

   5 AT&T Inc $16,000

   5 National Cable & Telecommunications Assn $16,000

   7 Jackson & Kelly $15,500 8 American Assn for Justice $15,000

   9 BellSouth Corp $14,900

   10 Skadden, Arps et al $14,750 11 Bowles, Rice et al $14,600 12 Baron & Budd $14,000 13 Ernst & Young $13,550 14 Northwest Airlines $13,500 15 American Hospital Assn $13,450

   16 Verizon Communications $13,000

   17 AFLAC Inc $12,750 18 Air Line Pilots Assn $12,500 18 American Health Care Assn $12,500 20 General Electric $12,000 20 UAL Corp $12,000 20 United Mine Workers $12,000

   Posted by frosty zoom at 10/24/2007 @ 08:25am

6. HARRY REID (D-NV)

   Top Contributors

   1 MGM Mirage $98,200 2 Harrah's Entertainment $78,600 3 Simmons Cooper LLC $73,400 4 Mandalay Resort Group $62,350 5 Station Casinos $38,000 6 Baron & Budd $37,000 7 Sierra Nevada Corp $34,300 8 Citigroup Inc $33,250 9 Park Place Entertainment $31,850 10 Newmont Mining $31,799 11 Waters & Kraus $31,650 12 Lionel, Sawyer & Collins $31,000 13 Caesars Entertainment $27,965 14 Weitz & Luxenberg $25,000 15 Microsoft Corp $24,000 16 Cassidy & Assoc/Interpublic Group $23,662 17 American Media Inc $22,000

   17 AT&T Inc $22,000

   19 Thornton, Early & Naumes $21,000 20 Greenberg Traurig LLP $20,191

   wow. it's mr. casino.

   Posted by frosty zoom at 10/24/2007 @ 08:26am

7. wow. it's mr. casino.

   Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 10/24/2007 @ 08:26am

   He was on the Gaming Commission. Tommy Smothers played him (sort of) in Scorcese's "Casino" with DeNiro and Pesci.

   Posted by Mask at 10/24/2007 @ 09:02am

8. Posted by MASK 10/24/2007 @ 09:02am

   2 errors...It was Dick Smothers, not Tommy. And it's "Scorsese".

   heheh

   Posted by Mask at 10/24/2007 @ 09:51am

9. if they can gain favor with the secular regressive crowd politically in an election year! That is what they are about!----Posted by RIO BRAVO 10/24/2007 @ 12:40pm

   Yeah, them dang secular regressives and their love of the Constitution....not like you real Americans, huh, RIO?

   Posted by Mask at 10/24/2007 @ 12:47pm

10. Posted by RIO BRAVO 10/24/2007 @ 12:57pm

    Don't fret it, RIO....if you had no problem with Bush having those powers...

    I'm sure you won't have any problem with Hillary having them in 2009...

    uh.....right?

    Posted by Mask at 10/24/2007 @ 1:30pm

11. Why don't you put up Hillary's donors.

    Posted by ZERO 10/24/2007 @ 10:20am

    DLA Piper $352,835

    Goldman Sachs $338,690

    Morgan Stanley $326,190

    Citigroup Inc $303,865

    National Amusements Inc $192,435

    Kirkland & Ellis $176,820

    JP Morgan Chase & Co $166,890

    Skadden, Arps et al $156,060

    Greenberg Traurig LLP $150,900

    EMILY's List $147,003

    Cablevision Systems $129,513

    Time Warner $125,870

    Bear Stearns $124,865

    Merrill Lynch $123,700

    Lehman Brothers $123,350

    Patton Boggs $117,529

    Ernst & Young $107,650

    Blank Rome Llp $105,300

    Latham & Watkins $100,290

    Credit Suisse Group $98,900

    Posted by frosty zoom at 10/24/2007 @ 9:34pm

12. NOTE: All the numbers on this page are for the 2008 election cycle and based on Federal Election Commission data released electronically on Tuesday, October 16, 2007. (Help! The numbers don't add up...")

    Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics.

    all the candidates, all the money [opensecrets.org]

    Posted by frosty zoom at 10/24/2007 @ 10:04pm