Chris Dodd has announced that he will put a hold on the bill granting retroactive telecom immunity.

Here’s his statement:

 Originally Posted By: Chris Dodd
The Military Commissions Act. Warrantless wiretapping. Shredding of Habeas Corpus. Torture. Extraordinary Rendition. Secret Prisons.

No more.

I have decided to place a "hold" on the latest FISA bill that would have included amnesty for telecommunications companies that enabled the President's assault on the Constitution by illegally providing personal information on their customers without judicial authorization.

I said that I would do everything I could to stop this bill from passing, and I have.

It's about delivering results -- and as I've said before, the FIRST thing I will do after being sworn into office is restore the Constitution. But we shouldn't have to wait until then to prevent the further erosion of our country's most treasured document. That's why I am stopping this bill today.

http://action.chrisdodd.com/signUp.jsp?key=1570



Meanwhile, Pat Leahy throws Rockefeller under the bus — where he belongs — for letting things get so far down the road that this became necessary.

The battle is not over, it takes 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a hold so this is only the beginning. But good for Chris Dodd for having the courage to say “enough”

 Quote:
Leahy: Intel panel about to ‘cave’ on surveillance
By Manu Raju
October 18, 2007
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Thursday condemned Intelligence Committee Democrats for brokering a deal with the White House that would provide retroactive immunity for telephone companies that assisted the Bush administration’s controversial warrantless wiretapping program.... (more)


If you didn't do anything wrong, why would you need retroactive immunity?