Sen. Charles Schumer and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are bucking their party's presidential nominee Barack Obama by opposing a White House-backed warrantless wiretapping bill expected to be voted on today.
During the primaries, Clinton and Obama vowed to filibuster the overhaul of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act if it contained a provision giving telecom companies protection from lawsuits.
Obama, who has been eager to counter GOP claims that he's weak on national security, infuriated many of his own supporters last week by saying he now supports the FISA measure passed by the House, even though it includes legal immunity for the companies.
Between 20 to 30 other Democrats are defying Obama on the vote, including top Obama supporter Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).
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Barack really needs to talk to Feingold about this one. Who cares about immunity other than Republicans? There is no downside to siding with the damned Constitution.
