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FISA Debate and Vote - Live Thread

Update: Consideration of the bill has been postponed to January due to the number of proposed amendments and lack of time to consider them.

Update: Here's the transcript of Dodd's speech.

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The Senate is debating S. 2248 to overhaul FISA. The bill contains retroactive immunity for the telecom companies.

A vote will begin shortly on whether to accept the bill. Right now they are moving to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed.

You can watch live on C-Span3.

Update: The Roll Call vote is happening. The room looks more than three-quarters empty. By unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum requirement is waived. 60 votes are needed to move forward with the bill. Clerk calls roll.

Sen. Leahy is expected to file a substitute bill stripping the telecoms of immunity.

Vote tally: Boxer, Feingold, Cantwell, Brown, Harkin, Wyden, Cardin, Kerry, Menendez and Dodd voted in the negative so far. Leahy and Durbin voted yes, as did Feinstein, Schumer, Kennedy, Specter, Levin and Ken Salazar. Again, this is the motion to invoke cloture to allow the bad Senate Intel Committee bill to proceed.

Vote total: Cloture is invoked. 76 to 10. Motion is agreed to. Harry Reid: No one intends to talk for 30 hours but some want to talk post-cloture. Reid wants everything from now on to take 60 votes, except for final passage. The rules don't require it, but they do take 60 votes to stop a filibuster. They are arguing about that now.

More...

The House is going to finish "the omnibus" tonight. The Senate will move to the omnibus tomorrow. They will do their best to finish the bill tomorrow. There will be four amendments.

It looks like Dodd's amendment stripping the Intel bill of telecom immunity will be the first one offered. Leahy says he wants to modify the Senate Judiciary bill at some point and it will require a vote. Leahy says it's okay for Dodd to go first. As soon as post-cloture debate is done, Dodd's amendment will be introduced. I'm signing off now.

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  • Display: Sort:
    Larisa Alexandrovna, at-Largely (none / 0) (#1)
    by Edger on Mon Dec 17, 2007 at 02:24:26 PM EST
    has some suggestions for Sen. Dodd to read on the Senate floor during his filibuster:

    • The US Constitution
    • The Declaration of Independence
    • It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis
    • I have dream by Martin Luther King Jr.
    I've added my own suggestions:
    • The Senate and House telephone directories
    • The Gulag Archipeligo