Amazing - House Dems defend quaint rule of Law in opposition to Bush

I didn't think I'd see this. The Republicans are in the tank, and Bush/Cheney are nostalgic for a King who rules by the doctrine of the divine right of Kings. The Senate Dems, especially Sen. Jay Rockefeller (another sterling example that inherited wealth is bad for the character), have also bought into the process of destroying the Rule Of Law in America.

Apparently there remains a pocket of Americans in the House who understand that what has made America great has been the Republic under the American Constitution and the Rule of Law. The spokesman for America against the forces of darkness who control the White House is John Conyers (D-MI), supported by Nancy Pelosi. Conyers explains why the House Judiciary Committee has resoundingly rejected retroactive immunity for the telecoms. (From Paul Kiel)

the Administration has not established a valid and credible case justifying the extraordinary action of Congress enacting blanket retroactive immunity as set forth in the Senate bill."

They cite a number of factors as to why it would be inadvisable to remove the issue from the courts and give the telecoms a free pass on lawsuits challenging the program. But the overarching reason seems to be that it's far from clear that the warrantless wiretapping program was legal, as the administration insists. In fact, they write, "our review of classified information has reinforced serious concerns about the potential illegality of the Administration’s actions in authorizing and carrying out its warrantless surveillance program."

The full statement from the House Judiciary committee can be found here.

The new Bill which is expected to replace the idea of retroactive immunity for crimes previously conducted by the telecoms at the demand of the Bush administration will instead give the courts authorization to hear the classified material at issue in the case. Paul Kiel describes it here.. The House is expected to vote on it sometime today, Thursday.