Legal Commentary

Bush Blinks

By Professor University of Miami School of Law

Like the House, the Senate yesterday also passed a 15-day FISA extension. Bush had said he had to have six years on nuthin’ and previously threatened to veto a 30-day extension. But the WashPo says that he’ll sign it — I guess that someone over there grasped that unlike three years ago, if you say the sky will fall without the authority the bill gives you and you veto it at the same time, someone might ask an embarrassing question before printing your press release.

I remain very pessimistic about the ability of Senate Democrats to grow spines on this issue, although it is encouraging that weathervane Nelson (D-Fl.) voted for cloture on Monday, and that his DC phone people are saying he’ll vote to remove telecom immunity from the bill; this seems something of an about-face from last week’s vote to bury the Judiciary Committee version of the bill, but I’ll take what I can get.

The bright spot in the story is that prospects on the House side are somewhat better. It helps that key right-wing Democrats are facing some tough primary challenges from progressives. Sometimes, just sometimes, elections help keep people focused on what their constituents want.

Now, about that war…

Full post as published by Discourse.net on January 30, 2008 (boomark / email).