This is good.
Dodd regrets not filibustering:
Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd says he regrets being talked out of filibustering tough new tribunal legislation signed by President Bush today . The Democrat says he plans to seek new legislation to overturn portions of the bill. Dodd denounced the measure, which civil liberty groups have said endangers many freedoms.
The bill sets up military tribunals to try terror suspects and allows the introduction of evidence obtained through tough interrogation procedures. Dodd says the measure would do little to aid in the hunt for terrorists because information obtained through intimidation is rarely accurate. Dodd says he initially intended to filibuster the bill, but was talked out of it by other Democrats who said there wouldn’t be enough votes to support the filibuster. The senator is campaigning in Iowa as he considers a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The part about Dodd running for President? Less good. But the part about starting a move to repeal the torture bill after the election — that is a great idea. Pity it’s only “portions” though. What does Dodd want to keep?
Of course, even with a perfect (and unlikely) result in the election, there’s not much of a prayer of passing such a bill over a veto, but it’s still worth doing to keep the issue alive.
