Well, hell...

Congressional probe of NSA spying in doubt

White House sways some GOP lawmakers

Congress appeared ready to launch an investigation into the Bush administration's warrantless domestic surveillance program last week, but an all-out White House lobbying campaign has dramatically slowed the effort and may kill it, key Republican and Democratic sources said yesterday.

The Senate intelligence committee is scheduled to vote tomorrow on a Democratic-sponsored motion to start an inquiry into the recently revealed program in which the National Security Agency eavesdrops on an undisclosed number of phone calls and e-mails involving U.S. residents without obtaining warrants from a secret court. Two committee Democrats said the panel -- made up of eight Republicans and seven Democrats -- was clearly leaning in favor of the motion last week but now is closely divided and possibly inclined against it.

They attributed the shift to last week's closed briefings given by top administration officials to the full House and Senate intelligence committees, and to private appeals to wavering GOP senators by officials, including Vice President Cheney. "It's been a full-court press," said a top Senate Republican aide who asked to speak only on background -- as did several others for this story -- because of the classified nature of the intelligence committees' work.

Kos Post

Ok, fellow exilers. I got sick and tired of not having my voice heard. The canned response I received from Senator Schumer regarding his interference in Hackett's campaign was the last straw.

I have put a diary up at Kos here that may help us to get the word out on how we feel and what we support.

It appears that the DNC doesn't read their own blog, but I know Democratic leaders read Kos.

Feel free to put your 2 cents worth in the comments section. Maybe someone will finally hear what we have to say.

Blue Ass Kicking Exilers

Bright and bold Hyacinths are quite the travellers. We commonly think of Hyacinths as Dutch Bulbs, and therefore, originating in the Netherlands. However in fact they originated in Turkey. They were brought to the Netherlands and then later to the United States

Hyacinths are a beautiful and fragrant spring flowering bulb.

Springtime's "truest blue"

Sweetly fragrant Versatile mixer with other flowers Gorgeous when mass-planted

And although they stand a beauty all their own, just look how beautiful they are when grouped together.

I think we are Hyacinths!

When is a Dem not a Dem?

I'll make my confession here, rather than on the Dems blog: I'm not a Democrat. Or rather, I'm an Independent who NEVER votes Republican but is very sad about the status quo/elitist failures in Congress, both the disgusting Pugs and those who call themselves Democrats but sure as shite don't act like Democrats. I pull the lever for Dems, but at least at the national level that's getting harder to do. Wish we had a viable third party. . . sigh.

My best friend Laura has become even more cynical than I this past year, as scandal after corruption after illegal act follows and the Democrats, rather than truly standing up for, I dunno, truth, justice, the American way, roll over or self-destruct. Laura believes it must be purposeful, and that the Dems in Congress are actually in cahoots with the Pugs. Why else can they not speak with one voice to denounce Iraq as an immoral war that has weakened America?

KimB