*"Sad day for the Constitution...  Sad day for all of us..."

Tom, what you're looking at is a setback for your partisan position. It's actually a great day for the constitution.

It is now absolutely clear that both the executive and the legislature desire immunity for the telecomms. The unelected judiciary now has to decide whether it is going to override both the elected parts of government. That is excellent for the constitution because it places the role of the judiciary under a powerful spotlight.

The telecomms are the primary legal target in the NSA wiretapping controversy because they are an easier target than government agencies. Government opponents hope to get at national security secrets by attacking the private telecomms. Amongst those bringing the lawsuits against the telecomms are the remnants of the al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, an al-Qaeda terrorist fund raising front group that is sufficiently bad enough to be banned worldwide by the United Nations. Supporters of immunity know exactly what is going on.

The Islamist enemy has stated openly that it will exploit the freedoms of the West to destroy the West. It has established itself in the liberal centres of the West, both physically and ideologically. The NSA surveillance was primarily in coastal areas like California and Oregon where the enemy is based, and it's no surprise that the judges selected by the enemy and other government opponents to hear these cases are also primarily from these areas.

FISA was introduced as an understandable reaction to corrupt government such as conducted by Nixon. But it was introduced before the complexities of the Jihad and emplacement of Islamist fifth columnists across America. FISA needs adapting and updating to the modern threat. Today was one (retrospective) step in that direction.

BTW, although Barack Obama voted against immunity in the individual bills, he voted for cloture; thus demonstrating he'll happily take more than one position on anything in order to get elected. *Change!

*Meanwhile, the New York Times outed the CIA agent who interrogated (not using waterboarding) Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. This agent and his family are now targets of the enemy.

Meanwhile, in Pakistan, relatives of British Islamist fifth columnist Shehzad Tanweer held a feast to celebrate the anniversary of the July 7th London bombings (remember those?) and the "martyrdom" of their Jihadist hero.

Meanwhile, across America and the West, as the events of 9/11 fade from the public consciousness, liberals and leftists clamour for the pretend days of September 10th when there was no enemy but Israel and United States government.

Meanwhile...