FISA Follies

Obama may become the Nutroots heart throb du jour - he voted (and lost) with Chris Dodd to strip retroactive immunity from the new FISA bill; Hillary may be tough enough to battle Republicans but she wasn't tough enough to actually get to the Senate floor and get on the sinking ship - her vote was "Not present". 

Hmm, that was sort of my proposed Obama strategy.  Let's see, more votes to come, and Obama can spin the telecoms immunity as something other than civil rights for terrorists. 

Opposing the main bill will be trickier, from a general election perspective; supporting it will be trickier today. Let's see - if he supports the big bill having also supported the Dodd amendment, he can claim he worked for an even better bill but reluctantly settled for this as better than nothing.  The Nutroots will see through it like glass, and the rest of us can cry "waffle" - I say Obama needs to go all in and oppose the final bill.  It's suicide, but it's delayed suicide... unless he can get Dodd, or some suitably credible lefty Dem, to support the final bill as well.  Kennedy was with Dodd on this round - will Kennedy flip to cover Obama?

Right, who's waffling now?  OK - Obama either opposes the final bill or drags Kennedy, Dodd, or a Big Lefty into the same "Yes to Dodd, Yes to the bill" position and hides behind them [Wrong!  See below].  Ms. Clinton buffs her Kennedyesque appeal by posing somewhere reading "Profiles in Courage".

Ms. Malkin is following this.

MORE:  Re "See through this like glass" - the Metaphor Masher repair guy is racing to my rescue like a white knight on a gallant steed... and he better hurry.  Obviously.

THE AUDACITY OF VOTE:  Duh!  Obama could just scuttle into the night and, with Hillary, go with "Not Voting" on the final bill.  Does she have an extra copy of "Profiles in Courage" handy?  These two want to lead America but they can't even lead their own party.

NUTROOTS BONUS:  Sen. Jim Webb voted for the bill, the boot-licking Bush-kissing craven.

Comments

[kim]

The man in the black hat's phone conversation was intercepted and now he's being grilled by the secret service for Hillary's dinner.
=====================================

[anduril]

If Obama gets the nomination, this hands a potentially huge issue to the GOP. Most polls show Americans feels strongly about national security, especially when it comes to measures to help prevent terrorist attacks. Voting NO on this one would be very hard to explain to anyone but the nutroots. Even if he votes in favor of the final bill, the GOP should be able to makes lots of hay on this one. They may well be able to make a significant issue of Hillary's NOT PRESENT by tying it in to the general national security issue.

[anduril]

Oh, wait--did McCain show up?

[Topsecretk9]

anduril

Yes. He did. In favor.

[sbw]

Helga has arrived. Quick, Tom, call security. Threads from 2003 are being hijacked by the 'bots!

[Neo]

Democrats -- 31-18

Republicans -- 0-49

At least the Republicans are consistent.

[SteveMG]

Where's the "No difference between Obama/Clinton and McCain" brigade?

Yes, there's lots of legitimate criticism - indeed outrage - over McCain's record; but this "no difference" argument just can't withstand any examination.

As we see again today.

And hey, Senator Clinton, real profile in courage there, m'am.

[Jim Miller]

Well, there's always the phrase from Corinthians, "through a glass, darkly". but I don't think that fixes your metaphor.

Tom, you haven't been reading Frank Rich, by any chance? (For those not familiar with NYT columnist's way with words, let just say this: Rich has never met a metaphor he couldn't misuse. I am no longer surprised to find NYT columnists who can't think logically, or are innumerate, or are ignorant of history, but I am still mildly surprised to see that some of them can't -- or won't -- write clearly.)

[Rick Ballard]

"it will be as transparent as fine crystal"

It's the Nutroots part that screws it up. Gotta figure out a metaphor that works on a Happy Meal level when you're dealing with them. It's always crayons and butcher paper.

[kaz]

With roughly 4% of the Virginia vote in:

Huck ~7000
Mc ~6000
Paul 455
Mitt 329

Fox has already called it for BHO.

[Ralph L]

I think TM wants to fog Barry's windshield and point him to a cliff.

He won't be present for the final bill. Neither will she.

[SteveMG]

The audacity of nope.

Not gonna' vote.

[hit and run]

CNN calls VA for McCain with 64% reporting...

McCain 48
Huckabee 44

[Rick Ballard]

CNN has its exit poll for VA available.

BHO took 53% of the Hispanic vote and the Hispanic turn out at 5% compares very favorably to their total population percentage of 6%. That ain't good news in Witchland. Not if it carries on to TX.

Blacks constitute 20% of the population in VA and accounted for 30% of the vote, going for BHO at an 89% rate.

[Patrick Tyson]

Obama will be the Democratic nominee.

[clarice]

HHispanics in No Va are largely Central American and Peruvian--quite different than the Cubans in Miami and the Mexican-Americans in California and the SW. Just saying.

[MayBee]

My family and I amuse ourselves by picturing Hillary in a control room full of televisions watching returns, and reacting just as Snow White's stepmother does when the mirror says she is not the fairest of them all.

[richard mcenroe]

"Kennedy was with Dodd on this round - will Kennedy flip to cover Obama?"

I think the Secret Service are required to open fire if he tries...

[anduril]

OT? OT? OT? OT?

Maybe I'm jumping the gun a bit, but with the looming possibility of a President BHO it may not be too soon to look at all possible implications. Rowan Williams drew a lot of criticism and ridicule for his recent statement suggesting that Britain accommodate Sharia law, at least in some respects. I suspect most people here thinks that's the kind of thing that could only happen in obscure European banana republics. However, we know that 1) our elite law schools favor bringing US law into line with foreign law and that BHO is a product of such institutions. If he were able to get such minded people onto the Supreme Court we might well be in for a nasty surprise.

Perhaps that's what Rivkin & Casey had in mind when they penned their latest article, Toleration and Islamic Law

Some of you probably read that article, as well as this article by Richard Fernandez, which points out some of the practical consequences of Sharia law: All in the Family

It occurs to me that these two articles go very well in juxtaposition.

[kim]

I would really like to know if you have to have been an adult Muslim to become apostate. Most certainly, Obama repeated the catechism as a child. Is he subject to fatwah for falling away from the faith?

Remember, a fallen away Muslim is worse than an infidel. Well, in their eyes, anyway.
===============================

[hit and run]

With 78% reporting in VA

McCain 49
Huckabee 43

CNN has the Exit polls for the reps, too.

53% of the voters were male...interesting. McCain won 50% of each gender.

McCain won among Republicans 52-42
Huckabee won among Independents 40-38

McCain won among Moderates 70-24
McCain won among Somewhat Conservatives 50-37
Huckabee won among Very Conservatives 65-25

[clarice]

Just saw Hill in Texas--she is sounding increasingly desperate--

[PeterUK]

"Well they gave her her orders at Monroe, Virginia,
Said: "Hill, you're way behind time,
"This is not 38, this is Ol' 47,
"Put her into Spencer on time."

Then she turned around and said to her black, greasy fireman,
"Shovel on a little more coal.
"And when we cross that White Oak mountain,
"Watch Ol' '47 roll."

And then a telegram come from Washington station,
This is how it read:
"Oh that brave engineer that run ol 47,
"Is lyin in old Danville dead."

'Cos she was going down a grade making 90 miles an hour,
Hillary broke into a scream.
She was found in the wreck with her hand on the throttle,
Scalded to death by the steam."

[PeterUK]

"Rowan Williams drew a lot of criticism and ridicule for his recent statement suggesting that Britain accommodate Sharia law,"

A hurricane level shitstorm is more appropriate.No matter what the silly old hippy says after this,it will follow him for the rest of his life.

[vnjagvet]

According to Fox, Maryland is 2-1 for BHO. Rove (a great counter, BTW) says that at the end of the night, BHO will be as far ahead of RW as he was behind going into tonight.

Alert, Alert: Broom One, Broom One -- You're in a steep dive, I repeat, a steep dive. Pull up. Pull up. Oh Sh******.

[vnjagvet]

What happens to people when they become Archbishop of Canterbury, PUK?

[hit and run]

Byron York on the Corner:

What will be interesting to see is whether McCain can, for the first time, crack the 50 percent mark in a primary.

He's wrong with NY (51%), NJ (55%) and CT (52%).

I Blame Sue.

UPDATE: he just provided the update with the correction.

[clarice]

It's the Curse of Henry Tudor.

[MikeS]

It's looking more and more like Obama will be the nominee. I hope he puts a woman on the ticket with him. Is that nice Kathleen Blanco still available?

[hit and run]

CNN calls MD for McCain.

[sb5109]

The second plane crash was the guy who was wearing th zoot suit, so he had to die well. Yes, the assassin was at the gate. I really don't like the time travel part of the game, but, I guess, that's why it's the game.

[MikeS]

Whoa! Ground control to Major Long Gone. Flip the oxygen switch to the ON position Dude.

[vnjagvet]

BHO:

We need to change the mindset that got us into the war.

I hope this clip goes out all to everyone who cares about our security over the next 20 years.

[Ralph L]

Is lyin in old Danville dead
I've been to old Danville recently, and yeah, it's dead.

[Jane]

Obama is really playing to the far left. It will backfire.

Put your hands back into your pockets Barack.

[Jane]

Actually that should be, "Put your hands back in your pockets folks.

[MayBee]

His few throwaway lines kind of knocking McCain didn't go over that well. Not until he finished with an anti-Iraq screed.

[MayBee]

What will Hillary find to be outraged about tonight, so she can control the news cycle tomorrow?

[Rick Ballard]

"Obama is really playing to the far left."

He's not playing. He's into Alinsky and the commie model deeper than RW ever thought of being.

[hit and run]

Geraghty:

It is floating around that it is now mathematically impossible for Huckabee to win the nomination.

Of course, Huckabee is impervious to math.

[hit and run]

Geraghty:

It is floating around that it is now mathematically impossible for Huckabee to win the nomination.

Of course, Huckabee is impervious to math.

[centralcal]

You're right Hit and Run, it is all about "miracles."

[Sue]

I Blame Sue.

Hey!

[SteveMG]

We need to change the mindset that got us into the war.

The men and women of the US military are doing that in Iraq as you speak, sir.

Along with tens of thousands of Iraqis.

It's the Sunni Baathist mindset, the al-Qaeda mindset, the radical Shi'a mindset that's being changed.

Get with the program; its 2008 and not 2003.

[Sue]

See what happens when you blame Sue? I sic typepad on ya'!

[centralcal]

Well...we've come (on Fox News) from the Obamamessiah on the mountain top, down to the valley of McCain - speechwise.

What are we gonna do? I know, I know, substance, substance.

Let us pray (oops, that would be a Huckster line).

[Sue]

UPDATE: I should have noted that McCain has broken the 50 percent mark in some big blue states. I should have specified that he has had that 50 percent problem in the more conservative states.

Something freaky is going on. Byron sounds like me. When he's wrong and when he corrects himself. So...the question is...is Byron here tonight?

[hit and run]

Wjhahhtt?EW?#W??

I don'tarejn have df cee4any h';apromrfdbcllemms wiihtrhf trytypedxppad.

[Sue]

Do any of you remember when Bush first started reading of teleprompters? Disasterous. Bush did much better when he spoke off the cuff. McCain has the same problem. He'll get better. I hope. He is our firewall.

[PeterUK]

vnjagvet ,
This one was always a fully paid up member of the loony left add to that we have a hippy who is a Druid who dresses up like this.As you can see anything can happen,I think the human trowel should stop digging.