Senator Feingold took to the Senate floor today and, with the help of Sen. Arlen Specter, challenged his colleagues to wrap their minds around what granting retroactive telecom immunity would mean for the rule of law, and wondered how they could be voting on such a thing when 70 members don't even have access to the evidence of alleged impropriety.

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"This is an amazingly inappropriate use of legislative interference, a push by this administration, and Senators should take a real hard look at whether they want to be associated with such an attack on the rule of law."

Glenn Greenwald has more:

Once passed by the Senate, the FISA bill will then immediately be sent by the Democratic Congress to an eagerly awaiting and immensely pleased President Bush, who will sign it into law, thereby putting a permanent and happy end to the scandal that began when -- in December, 2005 -- he was caught spying on the communications of American citizens in violation of the law. The only real remaining questions are (a) whether Bush will host Steny Hoyer and Jay Rockefeller at a festive, bipartisan White House signing ceremony to celebrate the evisceration of the Fourth Amendment and the rule of law, and (b) whether Bush, when he signs the bill into law, will append a signing statement decreeing that even its minimal restraints on presidential spying are invalid.

Extended version of Senator Feingold's remarks below the fold:

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...and the scandals continue.

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First up is "Nexus of Politics & Terror-gate" where Thomas Nelson, an attorney representing a high-profile Saudi client, is forced to fly back and forth from the Middle East due to suspicion (OK, documented proof) that all his communications are being monitored by the Bush administration.

Next, we have "War Profiteering-gate" on the heels of a report from the Inspector General in charge of overseeing Iraq reconstruction that details the scores of projects left unfinished and millions of dollars wasted. Hey, it's not like we need that money here anyway, right?

And finally, "I Want To See Your Diploma-gate" after Justice Scalia offers Lesley Stahl some tortured logic while trying to explain that torture doesn't qualify as "cruel and unusual punishment" because, get this, torture is not "punishment." Yea, that's who McCain wants to model his SCOTUS nominee after.

Do we see a pattern here?

Interrogating the Protesters

or several weeks, starting before the Democratic convention, F.B.I. officers have been questioning potential political demonstrators, and their friends and families, about their plans to protest at the two national conventions. These heavy-handed inquiries are intimidating, and they threaten to chill freedom of expression. They also appear to be a spectacularly poor use of limited law-enforcement resources. The F.B.I. should redirect its efforts to focus more directly on real threats. NY Times full article

FBI, N.Y. police track activists. NEW YORK -- The men who showed up at John Young's door were courteous and professional. Also intimidating. They were, after all, from the FBI.

With the Republican National Convention less than two weeks away, federal agents and city police are keeping tabs on activists and others they believe might try to cause trouble. They are making unannounced visits to people's homes, conducting interviews, and monitoring websites and meetings.