Let me clear about something. When I say that Reid is setting us up on FISA, I do not mean that Reid is doing this because he’s been bought off by the telecommunications corporations or because he is some kind of malevolent a-hole. Here’s the situation:
The Democrats need 67 votes to pass (and get signed into law) a FISA bill that does not have immunity. Simply put, that is never going to happen. It’s not going to happen with Dodd as majority leader or Boxer as majority leader or Bernie Sanders as majority leader.
Knowing this, the Democrats have two choices. One, they can pass a bill with immunity. Two, they can let the law sunset. Reid’s problem is that he doesn’t have (enough) support in his caucus to let the law sunset. He’s received a letter from all the Democratic senators running for president, urging him to use the Judiciary bill as the base bill. But, if he does that, he’ll just use up a bunch of floor time and he’ll never get the thing passed, let alone by a veto-proof margin. What we’re really asking Reid to do is to rally his caucus to support the Judiciary bill, pass it (or get a majority to oppose a filibuster), let the president veto it, and then blame the Republicans for the failure to update FISA.
I encourage you to call Harry Reid at 202-224-3542 and tell his office that you want the vote to be on the Judiciary bill and not as a substitute. But, please call your own senators, because it is they that have to be convinced. If Reid can show them the huge number of anti-immunity bill calls he is receiving, the threats to run ads against him, the threat to primary him in 2010, then he might be able to sway some of his frightened or pro-corporate colleagues. But a direct call to bad senators is just as good.
