I’m not marrying Obama. Therefore, I don’t promise to support Obama “for better or for worse.” He’s my candidate, not my prospective husband. I’ll support him “for better.” But I’m absolutely going to criticize him “for worse.” I’m talking about FISA.
I could never vote for a Republican. I will not ever support or encourage others to support John McCain. I don’t believe criticizing one candidate means you are supporting another. I think dissent and vigorous discussion is important in a Democracy.
I want Obama to do the right thing re the FISA debate. The people would be on his side if he made the case for no telco immunity, and for allowing investigations into past abuses.
Our founding fathers carefully set up a government that had three parts, insisting they must act not in accord, but to counter balance each other. The President is not supposed to make policy. He is supposed to enforce it. The president is the leader of the executive branch. They execute the laws and wishes of the American people. They don’t make new ones through illegal activity, as Bush did when his team asked the telecommunications companies to illegally spy on Americans without a warrant.
Under the current wording of the FISA bill, we would not be able to investigate past abuses. We’ll never know, for example, if Bush tapped Obama’s phone. We’ll never know whether blackmail on people like Steny Hoyer, for example, was gathered and is now being used. And in a Democracy, these are things we MUST be able to know.
I’ll leave you with the immortal words of Ella Wheeler Wilcox:
To sin by silence, when we should protest, makes cowards out of men.
While we push for Obama to see the light, PLEASE get in touch with your Senators and urge them to reject this FISA bill. Urge them to follow the principled leadership of Russ Feingold on this matter. This is truly one of the most important issues of our time. It’s passage sets a very scary precedent. A Democrat will not always be at the helm. We’d be legalizing the crimes of the Bush administration for the next Bush. If that doesn’t make your skin crawl maybe you’re not a real Democrat!
