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Obama to join Bush/McCain in mugging the 4th Amendment

    by Will Bunch | Columnist
    Published 

Last night on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow interviewed Georgetown law professor Jonathan Turley aboout the so-called "FISA compromise" that is just one more large drip on the ongoing erosion of the U.S. Constitution. Here's a transcript of Turley:

And, you know what`s terrible is like one of those stories where someone is assaulted on a street and a hundred witnesses do nothing. And in this case, the Fourth Amendment is going to be eviscerated tomorrow. And 100 people are going to watch it happen because it`s just not their problem.
And, you know, the only reason it didn`t happen today was it was delayed for a funeral. That`s how much these people put into the Fourth Amendment.
But you talk about expanding the president`s power, it`s coming out of the marrow of the Fourth Amendment. It`s coming out of the bone. And it`s going to hurt. And it`s being done for political convenience. There`s not an ounce of principle, not an ounce of public interest in this legislation.
So, at least show us respect of not calling it a compromise.

Barack Obama is one of those 100 people -- as Hillary Clinton once said, "Shame on you, Barack Obama." As usual, constitutional lawyer Glenn Greenwald has the most on this travesty. The video of Turley is at the bottom, because that's where this blogging software makes me put it.

Speaking of travesties, since there's only one post a day, I can't help but note July 8/9 as yet another low point in the series of endless low points that is Philadelphia sports fandom. Why in the name of God did the Sixers screw it up with Josh Smith so they could blow their entire wad on Chris Webber Jr.? The Phillies aren't much better -- their hideous farm system makes it impossible for them to trade for a much-needed pitcher, as the Brewers did (so blame Ed Wade, not Pat Gillick) and the only player on the current team who isn't playing like he's 45 years old is Jamie Moyer. That's especially true for LVP Jimmy Rollins, who hasn't had a meaningful hit since 2007.

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    Will Bunch