Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

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There's a fight brewing on the Senate floor today. President Bush wants Congress to give immunity to the phone companies that helped the administration spy on innocent Americans.

This fight strikes at the heart of accountability in our democracy. No president should be able to work with corporations to break the law and then use Congress to cover up the crimes. Holding the phone companies accountable may be the only way that the American people find out the extent of the Bush administration's illegal actions.1

Progressive Senators Chris Dodd and Russ Feingold are pledging to block any legislation that includes "telecom immunity." 2 And presidential candidates Joe Biden and Barack Obama have said they'll support a filibuster.3

It is critical that other senators support Senators Dodd and Feingold . Can you call Sen. Durbin today and tell him to join progressives in the Senate in blocking any bill that includes immunity for lawbreaking phone companies? Tell him voters want accountability and oversight—not immunity.

An investigation into the illegal wiretapping could expose how far Bush and the telecoms went in breaking the law. President Bush keeps insisting that his illegal spying program was narrow and only targeted at suspected terrorists. But AT&T whistleblower Mark Klein—who has firsthand knowledge of the program—says the program was a massive invasion of Americans' privacy and AT&T is covering up the truth:

"They want to portray it like the president does, that it's a handful of international phone calls. That's the sound-bite, and that's not true. It affects millions of people domestically." 4

That's why the Bush Administration and the telecom companies are desperately seeking immunity to conceal their crimes. AT&T has even hired a consulting company headed by John Ashcroft, Bush's former Attorney General, to lobby for immunity.5

We need the Senate to stand up to their pressure and hold them accountable, not aid their cover-up.