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Chris Dodd was on FDL to discuss his powerful stance against giving immunity to the telecoms over the new FISA bill yesterday. He's ready to filibuster any compromise that tries to shield them from the basic rule of law. Here's a poll that appeared in Smart Money which shows America agrees with us and Senator Dodd:

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- According to the ACLU survey of 1,000 likely voters, 59% were either opposed or strongly opposed to the idea of giving companies that sold such information to the government civil or criminal immunity, even if that information was used to "investigate terrorism." About 31% of those surveyed said they supported or strongly supported giving such amnesty, with the remaining percentage of voters saying they were undecided.

How important was it for Dodd to take a strong and principled stand against the Telecoms? He took in 200K in just 36 hours.

Sen. Joe Biden is on the bus already:

San Francisco: Will you join Sen. Chris Dodd's hold and proposed filibuster on any FISA bill that includes retroactive immunity for [law-breaking] telecoms? . . .

Sen. Joe Biden: Yes.

Sen. Feingold is also not a happy camper. Obama has stepped up and issued a statement that says he can't support the bill the way it is.

"Senator Obama has serious concerns about many provisions in this bill, especially the provision on giving retroactive immunity to the telephone companies. He is hopeful that this bill can be improved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. But if the bill comes to the Senate floor in its current form, he would support a filibuster of it."

He's coming around on the right side of the issue which is great, but we need to let him know how serious we are about a filibuster. Will you get Dodd's back---yes or no?

We're also are putting out the Action Alert to Hillary Clinton as well. She needs to continue to step up and stay on the bus with Chris Dodd on a filibuster as well. Here's her latest statement on the Telecoms:

HRC: I am troubled by the concerns that have been raised by the recent legislation reported out of the Intelligence Committee. I haven't seen it so I can't express an opinion about it. But I don't trust the Bush Administration with our civil rights and liberties. So I'm going to study it very hard. As matters stand now, I could not support it and I would support a filibuster absent additional information coming forward that would convince me differently.

We don't trust the Bush administration either. So, while you're studying the bill very hard, backing a filibuster against Telecom immunity is very easy. Just get to the point, please.

We're also interested in making sure all the Senators stand tall against retroactive immunity. Getting serious is not the same as being decisive and unwavering. We need straight answers on a simple question. Will you get behind a filibuster?

Please call these numbers early and often:

Phone numbers:
Clinton Presidential: 703-469-2008 Senate : (202) 224-4451
Obama Presidential: 866-675-2008 Senate: (202) 224-2854

Ian at the Agonist has more....Taylor Marsh: It's the Constitution, Period.

Our Constitution is being shredded, while most political leaders stand by and do nothing, or position themselves to look like they're doing and saying something when they are not. Senator Chris Dodd is saying something, but he's also drawing a line in the sand

Atrios:

Will you support a filibuster of any bill that grants retroactive immunity to telecoms for enabling the Bush administration to spy illegally on Americans?

FDL says:

To the Bat Phones: In the wake of the completely chickenshit statements from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton regarding whether or not they would agree to filibuster FISA — with holes so big you could drive a truck through — it’s clear that both are passively helping the telecoms to jam this through while taking credit for quote-unquote “opposing” it.

DWT: Why Can't Either of them just answer a straight forward question?

What the hell does that mean? Is Dodd, Feingold and Biden are filibustering Bush's attempt to retroactivley immunize executives who have helped him make a sham out of the Constitution. Where does Hillary stand? Is she committing to a filibuster? I read her statement a dozen times and I still don't know. I read Biden's and Feingold's and Dodd's and I do know.

Glenn Greenwald says: Chris Dodd's leadership vs. Clinton and Obama's game playing:

Contrast Dodd's leadership and conviction on this matter with the complete passivity and invisibility of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.---These statements are just manipulative and woefully insufficient. Leadership is about standing and galvanizing support for fundamental principles.

Matt Stoller: Clinton and Obama Running for Caveat-in-Chief'

I don't want to diminish the utility of Obama and Clinton coming out against this bill. But at certain moments in history, principled clarity is what's required in a political leader. America is in a bad situation, and it's problematic that our leaders have and continue to betray us at all levels.