his move toward center does weigh heavily

i've struggled this week (and last) with obama's perceived shift toward the center, trying to figure out how to feel about it and how to deal with it, as the media makes it appear as though he is moving further from my own liberal ideals. i mean, no matter what, i'm committed to obama and seeing him elected president. he is a far better choice than mcsame, and this country needs a major overhaul if we're going to make it, and start thriving again. and obama is the right leader for the unenviable task at hand.

but it doesn't mean i don't worry about things...

i disagree with obama's presumed FISA vote, because the slope on which my rights to speak, assemble, and maintain a private life become far too slippery when we give "get out of jail free" cards to leaders who think it below themselves to follow the very laws they made an oath to defend.

that's what george w. bush, king of douchebags, did. i have no idea why he didn't go to congress and ask for an extension of his right to electronically survey those he thought might be terrorists (or, heaven forbid, seek a warrant as the law instructs). maybe the evidence he'd've had to use was too flimsy to get congress to agree so he went and did what he felt was right. and because we know what kind of judgment, forethought, and logical reasoning is employed by our king of douchebags, it is very, very, very dangerous to give up our rights to him (or any leader).

FISA (the "new and improved" version) makes it against the law for the president to do what our dubya did (much like the new law, the old law said he couldn't do what he did) and goes on to say that we can't sue the telecom companies for illegally handing over the requested info (oh yeah, because the telecom companies don't have smart enough lawyers on payroll to know the law required them to say no to an attorney general making demands without a warrant). so basically, the new law says to the president, we've made it clear that you aren't going to get in trouble for breaking the law, so do as you wish.

i don't like that. no matter who our president is. and i fully support senator feingold's filibuster next week. and so should everyone who gives a rat's ass about their constitutional rights...