Jay Rockefeller’s Unintentionally Revealing Comments

[Phred42]

Jay Rockefeller’s Unintentionally Revealing Comments
by Glenn Greenwald

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/23/6594/

As the Senate takes up “debate” today over granting the President new warrantless eavesdropping powers and granting immunity to lawbreaking telecoms, the individual who joined forces with Dick Cheney to get this ball rolling, AT&T’s personal Senator Jay Rockefeller, made some comments yesterday to The Politico that illustrate just how twisted and dishonest is the thinking of telecom immunity advocates. First, there is this:

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) is predicting the Senate will grant retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies as Congress takes up reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). . . “I think we will prevail,” Rockefeller said on Wednesday, adding that he hoped the Senate will finish the bill by next week. The FISA legislation expires in February, and both President Bush and GOP congressional leaders have demanded new legislation be in place by that time.

“It’s a pretty bad idea to appear cocky,” Rockefeller noted. “I am not pessimistic.”

For an entire year, Congressional Democrats have won absolutely nothing. They’ve given in to the White House on every one of its demands. Yet here is Jay Rockefeller strutting around declaring Victory and having to battle against feelings of cockiness because, finally, he is about to win something. But ponder the “win” that is giving him these feelings of immense self-satisfaction. Is he finally accomplishing what Democrats were given control of Congress to do: namely, impose some checks and limits on the administration? No. The opposite is true. Rockefeller is doing the bidding of Dick Cheney. The bill that he is working for is the bill the White House demanded. Rockefeller is supported by the entire Bush administration, urged on and funded by the nation’s most powerful telecoms, and is backed by the entire GOP caucus in the Senate.

When Rockefeller smugly announces that he “thinks we will prevail,” the “we” on whose behalf he is so proudly speaking is Bush and Cheney, lawbreaking telecoms, and all Republican Senators. The only parties whom Rockefeller is so happily “defeating” are civil liberties groups and members of his own party. That is what is making him feel pulsating sensations of excitement and “smugness.”

[Double T]

1. Dems acting like rethugs..............

like to see Rockefeller replaced with a civil libertarian.

[Phred42]

2. or better...a progressive Democrat

[hootinholler]

3. Shame Robert is too feeble to take him out back of the woodshed. n/t

[ThomWV]

4. That contradicts his comments as he introduced the bill to the Senate before the break

When he introduced the bill he noted that there was a similar bill out of the Judiciary Committee and that he believed it would be offered up as a replacement to his bill and that he supported that effort. He did not support the version of the bill that came out of his own committee in favor of the competing one which did in fact withold immunity.

As it is right now I'd just say fuck it and tell Bush he gets the existing bill extended until the day he is out of office or he can veto it an have not FISA law at all after February 1. Fuck him and fuck spying on us under any sort of legal cover.

[Canuckistanian]

5. You know things are bad when DiFi offers a compromise

And it's turned down.

Rockefeller also rejected a potential compromise being floated by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that would let a secret FISA court decide whether the telecom companies, who are being sued for going along with official requests from the Bush administration to cooperate with warrantless surveillance programs, acted properly.

[KoKo]

6. DiFi's Compromise was ALWAYS...the only option...remember...it's Compromise

that Dems do. Nancy Pelosi in her $300 for every child in America Press Conference today reapeated..over and over ...and "this was decided in a bi-partisan way." Made me Puke...

It's about COMPROMISE...yet when did the Repugs EVER Compromise since 1994?

You see? It's One Party Government with our Dems giving "crumbs" like $300. in every pot...while the Repugs dole out bazillions to their corporate special interests. I'd say the Repugs are heavy weighted on the scale...but it's still one party that swings back and forth.

We get a Dem President in and we peasants might get $500. instead of $300.....but the Fat Cat Corporatists will ALWAYS GET THE MOST... It's just how it works...

[Phred42]

8. We're getting confused kids - This is about FISA

Not about the Stimulus package

[kelligesq]

10. No confusion. same pattern of behavior - put on a show & agree with rethugs

after pretending to fight them.

They seem to think we wont realize it's a one party system.

[fascisthunter]

7. Gee... How Refreshing to Know When We Vote Democratic We Vote for Republicans

[Phred42]

9. Yea! That's the permenant Repubican Majority Newt always talked about

It's been here all along