Telecom Immunity

From what I can tell, telecom immunity has gone into some kind of limbo. The House dropped it from the bill they passed yesterday. The Senate Judiciary Committee dropped it from the bill they sent to the floor of the Senate, but several members of the committee said they supported altered versions of it -- one proposed by Arlen Specter that would substitute the Government as the defendant in place of the telecoms. From what I can tell, the latter proposal would amount to the same thing as pure telecom immunity. The telecoms would be off the hook, and the case against the government would be thrown out for a whole host of reasons, so this is nothing but smoke and mirrors.

As it stands now, two alternative versions of the FISA bill have been sent to the Senate floor, and Harry Reid has to decide how to handle this. Based on recent experience, I suspect he'll cave to the telecom lobby. And, I suspect many Dems will go for the Specter cop out. So who knows where this will go if it goes to conference with immunity in one bill and not in the other?

Meanwhile, of course, Dodd has threatened a filibuster, but would he filibuster a bill with the Specter amendment in it? Who knows?

I think it's probably time to kiss the 4th. amendment goodbye.