Dianne Feinstein — Bush’s Key Ally In The Senate — To Support Telecom Amnesty

[EV_Ares]

From Salon
By Glenn Greenwald

Two months ago, Dianne Feinstein used her position on the Senate Intelligence Committee to enable passage of Bush’s FISA amendments, granting the President vast new warrantless surveillance powers.

Last month, Feinstein used her position on the Senate Judiciary Committee to ensure confirmation of Bush’s highly controversial judicial nominee Leslie Southwick, by being the only Committee Democrat to vote for the nomination (The Politico: “Sen. Dianne Feinstein had emerged as a linchpin in the controversial nomination”).

This week, Feinstein used her position on the Senate Judiciary Committee to enable confirmation of Bush’s Attorney General nominee by ensuring that the frightened Chuck Schumer didn’t have to stand alone (Fox News: “Schumer’s and Feinstein’s support for Mukasey virtually guarantees that a majority of the committee will recommend his confirmation”).

And now, Feinstein is using her position on the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Intelligence Committee — simultaneously — to single-handedly ensure fulfillment of Bush’s telecom amnesty demands, as her hometown newspaper, The San Francisco Chronicle, reports:

Feinstein backs legal immunity for telecom firms in wiretap cases

Link: http://www.trueblueliberal.com/2007/11/10/dianne-feinstein-bushs-key-ally-in-the-senate-to-support-telecom-amnesty/

[fooj]

1. She's my senator and I want the traitor RECALLED!

I'm sick of this. She hasn't represented ANY of her constituents as of late. Hell, I'm not certain that she ever has.

[atreides1]

3. Who can blame her

If she actually based her vote on the concerns of her constituents, hubby might lose some of those contracts that he has.

Feinstein has received scrutiny for husband Richard Blum's extensive business dealings with China and her past votes on trade issues with the country. Critics have argued that Feinstein's support of policies that may benefit her husband may raise the appearance of a conflict of interest. Suburban newspaper Metroactive has written in 2007 that Feinstein's husband holds large investments in companies that won large government contracts — without competitive bidding


As of December 2006, according to SEC filings and Fedspending. Org, three corporations in which Blum's financial entities own a total of $1 billion in stock won considerable favor from the budgets of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs


In 2003, Feinstein was ranked the fifth wealthiest senator, with an estimated net worth of $26 million. By 2005 her net worth had increased to between $43 million and $99 million. Her 347-page financial disclosure statement — characterized by the San Francisco Chronicle as "nearly the size of a phonebook" — draws clear lines between her assets and those of her husband, with many of her assets in blind trusts.

And in case you didn't know:
Senator Feinstein was the original Democratic cosponsor of a bill to extend the USA PATRIOT Act. In a December 2005 statement, Senator Feinstein stated, "I believe the Patriot Act is vital to the protection of the American people."

While on the MILCON(Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies subcommitte), Feinstein voted for appropriations worth billions of dollars to firms owned by her husband, Richard C. Blum. This included millions of dollars in contracts awarded to Blum's Perini Corporation to provide goods and services in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[DeeDeeNY]

4. Yes

http://www.metroactive.com/feinstein/

[LiberalFighter]

6. When putting the heat on Feinstein put it on her husband too

[rurallib]

2. Well - let us just hope that Dems will follow Dodd

and filibuster this to death if need be. Thank goodness at least one senator has the balls to stand up.

[bluriley]

5. DINO Dianne

She was a DINO when she was Mayor of SF. Anybody surprised that she is a DINO now?