Raw Story:
Four Democratic senators have introduced a bill that would, if passed, repeal the legal immunity afforded the telecommunications industry for their participation in President George W. Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program.
Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Russ Feingold (D-WI), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) announced the measure Monday. In a release, they said the bill “eliminates retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies that allegedly participated in President Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program.”
[...]
“I believe we best defend America when we also defend its founding principles,” Dodd said in the release. “We make our nation safer when we eliminate the false choice between liberty and security. But by granting retroactive immunity to the telecommunications companies who may have participated in warrantless wiretapping of American citizens, the Congress violated the protection of our citizen’s privacy and due process right and we must not allow that to stand.”
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) hailed the measure as a return to the rule of law.
Of course, the right's idea of "liberty" is not having to pay taxes. They wave around a Constitution they not only clearly misunderstand, but in many case probably haven't even read, and march around in a game of "follow the idiot" with "OBAMA=HITLER" signs.
Yet telcom immunity and illegal wiretapping was exactly the sort of thing they were all for mere months ago. This despite the fact that there was no way it was constitutional.
"Granting retroactive immunity to companies that went along with the illegal warrantless wiretapping program was unjustified and undermined the rule of law," Russ Feingold said in a statement. "Congress should not have short-circuited the courts’ constitutional role in assessing the legality of the program. This bill is about ensuring that the law is followed and providing accountability for the American people."
In the end, the right cares about the Constitution only so far as they can use it to attack Democrats. Beyond that, they couldn't give a damn about it. This move won't be popular on the right.
