Strategy

A cool head prevails on BHO and FISA:

I do know this: [Democrats] would not have made this "compromise" and then brought this to the floor without [Obama's] ok, and probably without his direction. He is the leader of the Democratic Party now, in the middle of a hotly contested presidential campaign. If he didn't come to them and say to get this thing done before the fall, then they came to him and asked his permission. That's just a fact. They aren't going to do anything he doesn't want them to do.

So, it's not really a capitulation. It's a strategy.

I have a feeling that things are going to look a bit different come the end of next week. That said, in the meanwhile, I'm going to either call or drop BHO a line telling him what I think. If you're so inclined, here's his contact info.

Oh, and I'd like to thank my representative, Charles B. Rangel, for doing the right thing re FISA.