George Bush signed the new FISA bill, which grants immunity to the telecoms, into law today. This was a big win for Bush and he dutifully thanked the Democrats like Steny Hoyer and Jay Rockefeller who made it happen.
But, because for some, the U.S. Constitution, including the Fourth Amendment, still matters, the ACLU is challenging the constitutionality of the new law in court. Hopefully, the courts will be the one branch of government that will respect the Constitution:
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a landmark lawsuit today to stop the government from conducting surveillance under a new wiretapping law that gives the Bush administration virtually unchecked power to intercept Americans’ international e-mails and telephone calls. The case was filed on behalf of a broad coalition of attorneys and human rights, labor, legal and media organizations whose ability to perform their work – which relies on confidential communications – will be greatly compromised by the new law.This is the best quote from the release:
“A democratic system depends on the rule of law, and not even the president or Congress can authorize a law that violates core constitutional principles,” said Christopher Dunn, Associate Legal Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “The only thing compromised in this so-called ‘compromise’ law is the Constitution.”Democrats have an uncanny ability to compromise when it's not necessary and is actually counter-productive. For whatever reason, some in the Democratic brain trust, such as it is, finds it necessary to negotiate with George Bush, despite approval ratings hovering in the mid-20s. That may explain why the approval rating for Congress is even lower.
We need better Democrats -- and more of them.
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