memeorandum: Obama, telecoms and the Beltway system (Glenn Greenwald/Salon)

4:30 PM ET, June 19, 2008

Top Items:

Lawmakers Reach Deal To Expand Surveillance — WASHINGTON — After more than a year of partisan acrimony over government surveillance powers, Democratic and Republican leaders have agreed to a bipartisan deal that would be the most sweeping rewrite of spy powers in three decades.

Discussion: ProPublica, Hot Air, Redstate, Obsidian Wings, TPMMuckraker, Wake up America, Emptywheel, War and Piece, TIME.com and The Carpetbagger Report

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

Obama, telecoms and the Beltway system — (updated below - Update II) — As noted yesterday, Blue Dog Rep. John Barrow of Georgia has been one of the most enthusiastic enablers of the radical and lawless policies of the Bush administration. When running for re-election …

Discussion: Emptywheel, Firedoglake, TalkLeft, Crooks and Liars, Hullabaloo, Booman Tribune, Redstate, Buck Naked Politics and SquareState.net

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:

THAT'S SOME COMPROMISE — Who really thinks that the White House and the telecoms would go along with this so-called “conditional immunity” that congressional Democrats have agreed to if they didn't think they could satisfy the condition? — All they must do is provide a federal district court judge with …

Discussion: War and Piece and The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

George Bush's latest powers, courtesy of the Democratic Congress — (updated below - Update II - Update III) — CQ reports (sub. req.) that “a final deal has been reached” on FISA and telecom amnesty and “the House is likely to take up the legislation Friday.” I've now just read a copy of the final “compromise” bill.

Discussion: Newshoggers.com, Firedoglake, Reuters, CNN, Think Progress, Balloon Juice, Open Left, PointOfLaw Forum and Daily Kos

TPM Election Central:

Obama Cuts Ad For Conservative Pro-War House Dem — Barack Obama has cut a radio spot for conservative Dem Rep. John Barrow of Georgia, who favors staying in Iraq and favors immunity for the telecom companies, and he's taking a beating from liberal bloggers over it.

Discussion: Washington Wire, Savannah Morning News, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Ben Smith's Blogs, Open Left, Swing State Project and MSNBC

ACLU:

ACLU Condemns FISA Deal, Declares Surveillance Bill Unconstitutional — Contact: (202) 675-2312 or media@dcaclu.org — Washington, DC - With news that a surveillance bill may be voted on in the House of Representatives as early as tomorrow, the American Civil Liberties Union sternly warned members against voting for the legislation.

Office of the House Democratic Majority …:
Bipartisan FISA Compromise Reached

Discussion: MoJoBlog and Shakesville

Mcjoan / Daily Kos:
FISA Fight: Capitulation Reached

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, CQ.com, Emptywheel, ACLU Blog, The Seminal, unbossed.com and Daily Kos

Jackie Kucinich / The Hill:
House to vote on FISA reform Friday

Discussion: AMERICAblog News

Ed OKeefe / Political Punch:

Obama to Break Promise, Opt Out of Public Financing for General Election — In a web video to supporters — “the people who built this movement from the bottom up” — Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, announced this morning that he will not enter into the public financing system, despite a previous pledge to do so.

New York Times:

Obama Opts Out of Public Financing for Campaign — WASHINGTON — Senator Barack Obama announced on Thursday that he would not participate in the public financing system for presidential campaigns. He argued that the system had collapsed, and would put him at a disadvantage running …

Discussion: Marc Ambinder, TIME.com, Reason Magazine, Daily Kos, Below The Beltway, American Spectator, TPM Election Central and Democracy in America

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Obama aide blames McCain on public-financing — Obama spokesman Bill Burton is blaming Senator John McCain's campaign for failing, he says, to negotiate in good faith on a course to public financing. — “In the past couple of weeks, our campaign counsels met and it was immediately clear …

Discussion: MSNBC, TIME.com, Political Punch, TPM Election Central, Donklephant, Salon, Spin Cycle and Macsmind

Sam Graham-Felsen / Barack Obama:
Video: Important Announcement from Barack

Discussion: Opinion L.A., Donklephant, The Fix, Taylor Marsh, Progress Illinois and Jack and Jill Politics

David Nather / Beyond the Dome:
Obama's Ethics Allies are Not Pleased

Discussion: Spin Cycle

Kelly Moeller / Political Punch:
McCain Campaign Counsel Denies Obama Campaign Account

Discussion: The Trail, Redstate, The Huffington Post, Ben Smith's Blogs, Swampland and Patterico's Pontifications

Lynn Sweet:
Obama told Tim Russert at Feb. 27 debate he would “sit down with …

Discussion: The Opinionator and Salon

Jill Zuckman / The Swamp:
McCain calls Obama's opt out “a big deal”

Discussion: Jonathan Martin's Blogs

Timothy P. Carney / Examiner:

Commentary - Bank of America PAC money behind Dodd's Countrywide loan — WASHINGTON (Map, News) - “We call it the ‘Bank of America bill on steroids.’” A House staffer told me that, demanding anonymity, but speaking on behalf of aides to GOP members of the House Financial Services Committee.

Wall Street Journal:

Angelo's Angel — Give Senator Christopher Dodd credit for nerve. On Tuesday, the very day he finally admitted knowing that Countrywide Financial regarded him as a “special” customer, the Connecticut Democrat also announced that he was bringing to the Senate floor a housing bailout sure to help lenders like Countrywide.

Discussion: TownHall Blog and Commentary

Stephen Spruiell / The Corner:
Senate Poised to Pass Mortgage Bailout

Discussion: ConnPolitics

Republican Leader John Boehner:

Bombshell: House Democrats Call for Government Takeover of Oil Refineries — Should the Federal Government Run the Entire Oil Industry? Senior Dem Says: “To Me, That Sounds Like a Very Good Idea” — Two weeks ago, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) shocked many observers when she admitted …

Discussion: The Swamp, Wake up America, Sweetness & Light and Below The Beltway

Eric Lichtblau / New York Times: Congress Reaches Deal on Wiretapping Bill

Daniel W. Reilly / The Crypt's Blogs:
FISA Deal completed, House vote likely tomorrow

Discussion: protein wisdom

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Obama: ‘Country I Love’ — This patriotic ad, in which Obama says he was raised with “values straight from the Kansas heartland,” is a reminder of the resources Obama will be able to put behind telling his own story his way, centered on the “deep and abiding faith in the country I love.”

Discussion: TalkLeft, The Swamp and Oliver Willis

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Obama Launches Nationwide Ad Campaign

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, The Carpetbagger Report and Outside The Beltway

Andrew E. Kramer / New York Times:

Deals With Iraq Are Set to Bring Oil Giants Back — BAGHDAD — Four Western oil companies are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that will return them to Iraq, 36 years after losing their oil concession to nationalization as Saddam Hussein rose to power.

Thomas W. Evans / New York Times:

Sue OPEC — THE president of the United States has the power to attack, and perhaps destroy, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, the illegal cartel that has driven the price of oil over $130 per barrel. This can be accomplished without invasion or bombing. No special legislation is needed.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, The New Republic and The Volokh Conspiracy

Ann Althouse / Althouse:
What “privileges” would Barack Obama give to the Guantanamo detainees?

Discussion: JustOneMinute, The Daily Dish and MyDD

Joe Klein / Time:

In with the Old — Barack Obama has never been shy about comparing himself to Abraham Lincoln. He did so when he announced his candidacy at the Illinois state capitol, where both he and Lincoln served in the legislature. “The life of a tall, gangly, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us …

Discussion: The New Republic and Daily Kos

Kathleen Kingsbury / Time:

Pregnancy Boom at Gloucester High — As summer vacation begins, 17 girls at Gloucester High School are expecting babies—more than four times the number of pregnancies the 1,200-student school had last year. Some adults dismissed the statistic as a blip. Others blamed hit movies like Juno …