Morning Update: Democrats on FISA bill
Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Chris Dodd have both come out against the Senate FISA bill, which would grant immunity to phone companies that participated in the National Security Agency’s domestic intelligence eavesdropping program. Sen. Dodd (D-CT) says he will place a ‘hold’ on the bill, and do everything in his power to stop it from passing. In a statement, Sen. Obama (D-IL) said, “It is time to restore oversight and accountability in the FISA program, and this proposal–with an unprecedented grant of retroactive immunity–is not the place to start.”
‘World War III’: Obama also responded yesterday to President Bush’s warning that a nuclear Iran could lead to World War III. “This kind of ‘bring it on’ rhetoric is dangerous, it’s irresponsible, it leads directly to the increased threat from Iran and America’s decreased ability to leave the war,” Obama said
Richardson: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson gave a foreign policy address yesterday about managing global threats like climate change, disease pandemics, and extreme poverty. He proposes a “Marshall Plan for the 21st Century,” which includes a resolve to meet the Millennium Development Goals, a global initiative for clean energy, a focus on international cooperation, and a commitment to end “cross-border crime.”
