Moving Beyond Rhetoric

Ari Melber of The Nation delves into the recent debate on FISA and retroactive immunity for telecom companies. Importantly, Melber notes that Dodd's actions on this issue are in line with what Democrats should be doing if they want He writes:

On the campaign trail, Democrats may run hard against Bush's assault on the rule of law. In Washington, however, too many of them just run from security fights with Bush.

The notable exception is Senator Chris Dodd, who announced that he will put a hold on any surveillance legislation that immunizes the telecommunications companies for participating in domestic spying "with apparent total disregard for their responsibility to protect the privacy rights of customers." Beltway commentators swiftly derided Dodd's move as political, since his presidential campaign is courting primary voters and netroots activists, two constituencies that value constitutional rights. And yes, fighting retroactive immunity for criminals is popular: Dodd's campaign website traffic spiked tenfold after the announcement. But Dodd, a Senate veteran of twenty-six years, has longstanding and impeccable credentials in this area. He has led the battle to defend constitutional rights for years, fighting the Administration's torture and detention policies, and he wrote a book about protecting rights during wartime, drawing on his father's service as a prosecutor at Nuremberg.
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In fact, the only distinction among the candidates on this issue boils down to leadership. Dodd is moving beyond rhetoric and floor votes and leading the fight by summoning the full power of his office. President Bush has governed by pushing executive power past its breaking point; it should be no surprise that one of his potential replacements is finally wielding the full constitutional power of a coequal branch of government. Democrats would be wise to back their Senate colleague in his battle to defend the rule of law, the Fourth Amendment and tough accountability for criminal misconduct. Or they could back down quietly and wait for the next outrage.

I think that, at the end of the day, we've seen such an overwhelmingly positive response to Senator Dodd's decision that he will do whatever it takes to kill retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies in equal parts because it's the right thing to do on this issue and Americans have been craving leadership through action. Saying the right thing and voting the right way are important, but at the end of the day these times demand bold action.

Chris Dodd is leading now -- he's not waiting until January 2009 to stand up for the rule of law. To support Senator Dodd's leadership, you can make a donation or add your name to the ever-growing list of those who stand with Chris Dodd and the rule of law.

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