Principle

Putting aside for the moment the travesty that is the current FISA "compromise" legislation, it seems to me that Senator Obama should use this bill as the poster child for why we need to get lobbyist cash out of politics. As long as big corporations can use their mounds of cash to buy off weak-kneed politicians (regardless of party), there is simply no assurance that can be made that even citizens' most basic rights will be protected when those rights come into conflict with the interests of major corporations.

I think Senator Obama can make a convincing (and easy) case that this bill - which violates fundamental civil rights and the Constitution - was passed by the House simply because the telecoms bought the necessary number of votes. Without lobbyist dough, this bill doesn't get passed.

Telecommunications companies donated more money, on average, to Democrats who changed their minds last week and supported immunity for those companies' cooperation with administration wiretapping practices, a report by MAPLight.org finds.

Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T donated $8,359 on average, between January 2005 and March 2008, to 94 House Democrats who switched their stances and voted yes last week on the House's Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) overhaul bill.The same companies donated $4,987 on average to those who consistently opposed immunity and voted no, the study finds.

The House FISA bill would likely grant telecommunications companies legal immunity for complying with Bush administration wiretapping practices after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

This bill must be filibustered.