This should be very interesting: The whole thing is giving me a headache.



The Senate hit impasses over legislation aimed at helping struggling homeowners and a rewrite of spying laws, forcing Democratic leaders to push back consideration of those measures until next month.


Leaders had hoped to finish both measures this week, in addition to an emergency war-spending bill and a Medicare bill, before lawmakers return home by week's end. Both bills have wide support, but in each case, individual senators have refused to let the measures speed through the chamber. As a result, they were forced to lower the bar for this week's action.

Democrats also threatened to keep the Senate in session through the weekend if Republicans didn’t agree to move quickly with the Medicare bill.

Objections by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) will push back an overhaul of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) until after lawmakers return in July, Democratic leaders said Thursday. Feingold is strongly opposed to language that would likely give telephone companies that participated in warrantless surveillance retroactive immunity from lawsuits.

"It doesn't look like it," Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said of taking up the FISA bill this week. "Sen. Feingold wants additional time and would like to postpone it until after the Fourth of July."

Durbin said: "We can't leave until we finish Medicare and the supplemental."

On the housing legislation, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said an amendment squabble pressed by Republicans this week was too difficult to overcome in the time lawmakers have left before the break.

Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) was pushing for an extension of renewable energy initiatives, while Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) said the legislation was "too complex to be rushed" and protested that Republican amendments weren't being allowed.

Link To Full Article "The Hill"

It will allow time to go through some of that flaming mail from constituents....


Anyone remember that funny letter thing in Harry Potter called a "howler?" I sent one of those....

That much more time for U.S. to register dismay and displeasure at the dysfunction:

Contacting the Congress

Project Vote Smart

They keep putting off what needs to be done...why not just do it...get it done...piss off the repigs...who cares? Unless Dems are getting their pockets filled too...boy, we need a BIG change in November!

There is a lot of intensity out there over this issue.  I would not want to be them at the Fourth of July picnic.

Certainly not without a food taster.

P.S. Dept.

It also gives U.S. time to register gratitude to 15 of 'em:

Democratic Underground: 15 Senators who deserve our THANKS

Hatch compares FISA critics to those ‘who wear tin foil hats
and think 9/11 was an inside job.’

Think Progress
(w/C-Span Video)

Orin, forget it about it. You can't act.

YOU CAN'T SPY ON DEATH EATERS UNLESS YOU HAVE A WARRANT!
(Please Note: Gringott's is immune to prosecution under Cheney's Ministry of Magic.)