Parsing Obama on FISA

Obama has decided to take Thursday evening before July 4th to explain his filibuster-less position on the FISA bill. Permit some reading between the lines..

Off the bat there was a statement some might call arrogant, especially coming from a less than one full term Senator with no House experience:

I wouldn't have drafted the legislation like this, and it does not resolve all of the concerns that we have about President Bush's abuse of executive power.

Well, perhaps Obama's concern with executive power is that there's not enough--he needs the ability to re-write bills when they don't meet his specs. Reid's gonna love that comment.

He went on to dream outloud about something that will never matter:

That's why I support striking Title II from the bill, and will work with Chris Dodd, Jeff Bingaman and others in an effort to remove this provision in the Senate.

When he's not busy campaigning, that is. Obama opposed retro immunity the first time the bill hit the Senate in February then didn't bother to vote when the final version arrived (the Protect America Act he voted against was the 2007 bill). This is just pure political jujitsu--the telco immunity will remain.

Given the choice between voting for an improved yet imperfect bill, and losing important surveillance tools, I've chosen to support the current compromise.

Just unbelievable doubletalk. After saying he'll work to stop the bill in present form--when he didn't vote nay on a previous version of the bill with less restrictions--he then says the intelligence tools are far too important to oppose it. Good Lord, does this mean he agrees with the president on protecting America? Obush!

Oh well, politicians will be politicians, right? The fun continues as the partisan promises begin:

..a White House that takes the Constitution seriously..

And so far all of them have, including the current one.

..conducts the peoples' business out in the open..

Yes, except for the TSP bill he's now supporting and all the other stuff, like private conversations between him and his advisers and pretty much everything done by the NSA and CIA and military intelligence.

..welcomes and listens to dissenting views..

Which Bush has indeed done--he just hasn't taken all the advice.

And going forward, some of you may decide that my FISA position is a deal breaker. That's ok

i.e., where else are ya gonna go, sucker?

..my opponent has embraced the failed course of the last eight years..

Except for opposing tax cuts, opposing Rummy and the lack of troop strength until the troop strength was finally increased (something man-o-hope opposed) and being against the earmarks everyone else abused. Other than that, just call him McSame.

..while I want to take this country in a new direction

A direction nobody can really decipher, although at the moment it appears circular. His entire column was a slick con-job on why he's supporting Bush's TSP program complete with telcom immunity, something he'll fight hard to oppose. Or something. Change!