Mr. Burton:
Back in October, you stated, as a spokesman for the Senator, in simple, clear terms that Barack Obama would support a filibuster of any bill that contained retroactive immunity for the telecommunication companies that broke the law at the President’s urging.
Yesterday Barack Obama went back on that promise, by backing away and saying he would “work in the Senate to remove this provision so that we can seek full accountability for past offenses”.
That is not enough and it does not fulfill the promise you made on behalf of Senator Obama’s presidential campaign.
Many people are watching this bill, and are continuing to take action to prevent it from becoming signed in to law by the least popular President in the history of polling. I, as do many others, understand that the retroactive immunity contained in the bill is just one of many provisions that are damaging to the core principles of our Constitution and specifically the Fourth Amendment. The bill enacts and makes legal many of the illegal practices the Bush Administration began in 2001, prior to the attacks on American soil on September 11th, putting the lie to the idea that forgoing the protections and freedoms guaranteed in our country is necessary to keep us safe. If President Bush’s illegal wiretapping did not prevent the horror of the attacks on that fateful day, why is the Democratic leadership joining with the Republicans to retroactively enable them?
As an Obama supporter, I am holding the Senator to his promise, and I will urge my friends and family to do so as well.
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NOTE: If you agree with me that Senator Obama should keep his promise and stand up for our civil liberties, email Mr. Burton, or use the phone number listed at MoveOn and follow up to let MoveOn know what response, if any, you received.