There's been a tremendous amount of traffic online about Senator Dodd's announcement that he is placing a hold on the FISA legislation that includes retroactive immunity for telecom companies that have helped the Bush administration infringe on Americans' civil liberties. While there have been hundreds of blog posts on Dodd's clear leadership to protect the rule of law, I wanted to draw out a few of them for you. For those that I leave off, my apologies - this is going to be something like taking a sip from a fire hydrant.
Dean Barker at Blue Hampshire says, "This is leadership. This is defending our Constitution. And this is exactly why I support Chris Dodd for President."
D-Day looks at Dodd's leadership on FISA and decides he's ready to support Chris Dodd for President:
Senator Dodd has shown the requisite courage and fortitude to earn my vote. Edwards may have done the same thing in the Senate, so I haven't given up on him. But Obama's cautious centrism is finished. The netroots has a candidate they can trust. His name is Chris Dodd.
Digby writes, "Dodd has made the preservation of our constitution the centerpiece of his run for the presidency and he's putting himself on the line in the Senate on this one. For that he deserves our gratitude."
Melissa McEwan of Shakesville has probably my favorite graphic ever, as well as this straightforward assessment: "This is using his position as a senator to defend his country. This is leadership."
Glenn Greenwald has multiple posts up on today's events. Greenwald frames the importance of Dodd's action in very clear terms: "It has been a long time since a national political figure exhibited true, principled leadership on an issue of this magnitude."
Howie Klein takes the long view of Dodd's leadership and combines it with decisive action today.
Since the 2008 presidential campaign began he has been far more impressive figure than the media-ordained "front-runners"-- not in a charisma way or a fundraising way or a strategy way, but in terms of his policy proposals and his actions in Congress. Today he did it again by saying "no more."
...
If the primary was today, it would be a slam dunk for Dodd-- at least for this voter.
Jane Hamsher and Swopa have great posts on FireDogLake. This one from Jane explains further developments on the FISA legislation in the Senate since Senator Dodd announced his hold.
DailyKos diarist clammyc, in a post titled The one candidate who is already acting like a leader, makes a passionate case for supporting Chris Dodd:
With Dodd, you are already seeing him lead and command respect. He is taking actions, sponsoring legislation, doing what is right for America - RIGHT NOW. He isn't waiting until he would be inaugurated. He may be talking about how he would lead if elected President, but he is also showing how he is leading in whatever capacity he currently can.
He has made me really want to vote for him. He is someone that I would be proud to actively support. He is someone that I can feel good about telling others about taking a harder look at as a candidate. Why so many people are overlooking him is beyond me. He deserves a good hard look. He is acting like a leader.
Kagro X explains how a hold works in the Senate. And speaking of DailyKos front pagers, Markos said "Dodd is now the go-to guy" in the Senate...and this was before Dodd took action on FISA!
Gabe at The Left Coaster says, "When every other candidate (including the "top tier") was willing to let the telecoms get away with illegally giving away our privacy, Chris Dodd stood up. That is leadership, instead of rhetoric."
I think I'll stop there, though as I said before, this is the tip of the iceberg on coverage of Dodd's actions today. Thanks to everyone who has expressed their support for Senator Dodd's leadership in blog posts, comments, emails, and phone calls today.
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