A cloture vote to cut off debate on FISA legislation will occur at 4:30 pm today. This vote looks winnable, however there is no guarantee. If Republicans succeed in cutting off debate, telecom immunity will very likely pass over any and all objections - including a filibuster by Chris Dodd.
Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton said they will both be in D.C. voting "no" on cloture. Senators such as Dodd and Russ Feingold will be voting "no" as well. However, if we want to stand up for the rule of law in this country, this is a vote we cannot lose. Take a moment, call or fax your Senators. Here's some talking points highlighting the problems with Bush's warrentless wiretapping program:

• Retroactive immunity on FISA is designed to immunize the Bush/Cheney Administration. Once immunity is given, it cannot be taken back.
• Cloture and a vote for the Intelligence Committee bill would prevent any real oversight over minimization–the process by which the the Administration ensures that it does not collect or keep information on Americans incidentally.
• The Republicans' obstruction and refusal to consider germane amendments risks leaving us with limited surveillance when the Protect America Act expires in February
• The amendments will improve on the SSCI bill, produce a bill that the House will pass, and still ensure the Administration gets what it says it needs: no limitations on wiretapping of foreigners in other countries. We must protect the rule of law and civil liberties while also protecting national security. Otherwise, we are giving up what The Founders fought so hard to establish.

These Senators in particular are "on the fence" and need some extra pressure:


Name

Phone

FAX Carper (202) 224-2441 (202) 228-2190 Inouye (202) 224-3934 (202) 224-6747 Landrieu (202)224-5824 (202) 224-9735 Mikulski (202) 224-4654 (202) 224-8858 Clinton (202) 224-4451 (202) 228-0282 Pryor (202) 224-2353 (202) 228-0908 Specter (202) 224-4254 (202) 228-1229 Graham (202) 224-5972 (202) 224-3808 Snowe (202) 224-5344 (202) 224-1946 Sununu (202) 224-2841 (202) 228-4131 Byrd (202) 224-3954 (202) 228-0002 Chambliss (202) 224-3521 (202) 224-0103 Dole (202) 224-6342 (202) 224-1100 Stabenow (202) 224-4822 (202) 228-0325 Tell your Senators that if they vote to give Bush and his telecom buddies retroactive immunity for crimes that started before September 11th, they will not be getting your vote when they are up for reelection. Tell them to stand by their oath of office and uphold the Constitution.
This issue clearly has wide support, as evidenced by this outpouring of support by citizens thanking Senator Dodd for his leadership and courage:

It only takes 5 minutes to stop telecom amnesty. Pick up the phone! You can contact your representatives via email here, or send free faxes here. (Read the fine print first!)
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