Steny Hoyer Sucks

Or that seems to be the consensus of Left Blogistan after news of the latest example of Democratic Decrepency. Evidently, Hoyer has been auditioning for the part of "Handmaiden to Dick Cheney" in the upcoming reality show, BushCo Goes to Hell. He has apparently crafted a masterpeice of capitulation for the Constitution and our civil liberties in the newest FISA "compromise." Apparently, We the American People are "compromising" our right to challenge our government in courts and hold both the government and civilian lawbreakers accountable, and the Telecoms and the Bush Cabal are compromising...their prefered flavor of jell-o served in teh Capital Hill Cafe or something.

Hoyer, House Majority Leader, has created a bill which would not hold the Telecoms or the Administration to the law as it relates to their illegal wiretaps of innocent Americans. Instead, it would require a federal court to dismiss any lawsuit against those companies, so long as Bush claimed that what he was asking of them was legal, regardless of whether the action was itself, oh, say legal or not. Via Glenn Greenwald:

The provision granting amnesty to lawbreaking telecoms, Title VIII, has the exact Orwellian title it should have: "Protection of Persons Assisting the Government." Section 802(a) provides:

[A] civil action may not lie or be maintained in a Federal or State court against any person for providing assistance to an element of the intelligence community, and shall be properly dismissed, if the Attorney General certifies to the district court of the United States in which such action is pending that . . . (4) the assistance alleged to have been provided . . . was --

(A) in connection with intelligence activity involving communications that was (i) authorized by the President during the period beginning on September 11, 2001, and ending on January 17, 2007 and (ii) designed to prevent or detect a terrorist attack, or activities in preparation of a terrorist attack, against the United States" and

(B) the subject of a written request or directive . . . indicating that the activity was (i) authorized by the President; and (ii) determined to be lawful.

So all the Attorney General has to do is recite those magic words -- the President requested this eavesdropping and did it in order to save us from the Terrorists -- and the minute he utters those words, the courts are required to dismiss the lawsuits against the telecoms, no matter how illegal their behavior was.

Evidently, that whole "rule of law" thing is a pretty thing to say during campaigns and public speeches, but for Hoyer and the Bush Gang, it doesn't really apply in reality.

The real kick in the balls here is that Hoyer claims that it is the Democrats who are pushing this bill through. Yes, I hear the crickets too. Who else, besides the Telecoms who broke the law and the Administration Officials who broke it with them, has been asking for this immunity? Mcjoan

from DailyKos said it best.

Here's the thing, he's the majority leader and the majority of his caucus is opposed to amnesty. Nancy Pelosi is supposedly opposed to amnesty. Harry Reid is opposed to it, as is Dick Durbin. Barack Obama is opposed to it. And supposedly, so is Hoyer himself. So who is clamoring so hard from the Democratic party for amnesty? Not a one, so far.

Seems like Hoyer might have some explaining to do, like how this knife appeared in our backs...

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