RJTJr

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada, commenting on the passage of the FISA bill in the Senate Tuesday, Feb. 12 -- "Holding all the Democrats together on this is not something that's doable." (NYTimes.com, 02/13/08) This is the exact reason why I'm convinced that come November, the Republican ticket (really doesn't matter who it is) will be elected president. I believe the only reason the wiretapping issue is not more important than our disengagement from Iraq is that American men and women are dying in this war, while so far no one (at least as far as we know) is dying because of wiretapping. However, our rights as citizens are quickly being strangled, and the Democrats are helping this along. And don't kid yourself, the House will eventually pass something similar to this FISA bill with obvious Democrat support.At the end of the day, the Republicans stand for something. I don't agree with almost all they stand for, and I do not believe a majority of Americans stand with them as well on most issues. But the Republicans do stand for something. They're organized, they're loud, and they're tenacious. American politics is about compromise. Why is for the last two decades we Democrats "compromise," but the Republicans tend to hold their ground and eventually win? Sen. Reid has it right, "holding the Democrats together...is not something that's doable." This really pertains to the Presidential election as well. With the help of Karl Rove and his minions and followers, there will be plenty of scare tactics around during the entire campaign, and it will damage whomever sits upon the top of the Democratic ticket. Take a look at this or similar articles, the word "patriotism" is used by a few Democrats to justify their support of this version of FISA. Patriotism -- what a misused and misunderstood word. (In my opinion) what is patriotic in this situation is standing for our rights, even at the point of being ridiculed and branded weak on national security and defense. I am ambivalent on protecting the telecom companies -- there might be a good solution here, so that's not what's driving my anger. No, it's warrant-less searches and special, secret courts, and dubious reasons to monitor American citizens. And today I'm not happy with either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama -- this bill required their attention on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Simply stating how they "might" have voted is not enough -- stand up for Americans like myself. That's how you get my vote. Yes, this writer reads like he's angry, and I am. But like a good Democratic, I'll get over this in time and look for the next battle to compromise on. I wonder what we'll give up next in the name of patriotism, national security, national defense, and the hunt for terrorists?