Video Statement Transcript

I wanted to repost this video, along a rough transcript of Senator Dodd's remarks on FISA and his commitment to filibuster if his hold fails.

I placed a hold on the foreign surveillance intelligence act. I'm asking you to join me in that effort here. I don't believe its right for telephone companies to be turning over the private telephone records of American citizens to the Bush administration without prior judicial approval.

This is a basic fundamental right, privacy in our country and I'm going to do everything I can to see to it that Congress strips this provision out of the bill. I will do everything I can, including filibustering this legislation if necessary. My hope is the hold will work but if it doesn't then I'm prepared to go to the floor of the United States Senate and filibuster this.

I don't do that very often, very very rarely have I done it. But I cannot any longer tolerate this Administration's drum beat here to deprive us of basic rights in this nation here.

This false dichotomy that we're only going to be saved if we give up our rights is something I cannot stand for any longer. I hope you will join me in this effort by going to ChrisDodd.com, my website here, if you want to co-sponsor the effort I'm making here, that would be a great help.

Democrats need to understand we were given the power last fall to be the majority control of Congress, we can't be going along with these ideas. If the President believes that he wants to grant immunity again to a telephone company that's his responsibility, I disagree with that. I don't think that's the right thing to do but Congress of the United States ought not to be sanctioning that decision by including a provision like that in this legislation so I'm going to do everything I can to stop it.

I'll begin with a hold, if the hold doesn't work then I'll go to the filibuster, but I need your help. I'm asking you to join me in this effort, if you care about our Constitution, if you understand that our rights ought not to be eroded. Sandra Day O'Conner said it right: Because we made this choice about war, it doesn't give the President a blank check to go out and rip apart our Constitution. That's what I'm standing for, I hope you will join me in that effort.

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