Senate sticks it to Bush.. JUST KIDDING!

In a classic display of doublethink the AP reports on the Senate's passage of the spying bill, including an "aye" from appears-to-be President Obama:

Bowing to President Bush's demands, the Senate sent the White House a bill Wednesday overhauling bitterly disputed rules on secret government eavesdropping and shielding telecommunications companies from lawsuits complaining they helped the U.S. spy on Americans.

The relatively one-sided vote, 69-28, came only after a lengthy and heated debate that pitted privacy and civil liberties concerns against the desire to prevent terrorist attacks. It ended almost a year of wrangling over surveillance rules and the president's warrantless wiretapping program that was initiated after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The President's warrantless wiretapping program began before September 11. A fact that makes this immunity for telecommunications companies a special "F-U" to Americans.

Iran, here we come

Bush and the Democratic Congress are Preparing the Battlefield:

Late last year, Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran, according to current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources. These operations, for which the President sought up to four hundred million dollars, were described in a Presidential Finding signed by Bush, and are designed to destabilize the country’s religious leadership. The covert activities involve support of the minority Ahwazi Arab and Baluchi groups and other dissident organizations. They also include gathering intelligence about Iran’s suspected nuclear-weapons program.

For those of you who don't know what a Presidential Finding is, Hersh explains:

Under federal law, a Presidential Finding, which is highly classified, must be issued when a covert intelligence operation gets under way and, at a minimum, must be made known to Democratic and Republican leaders in the House and the Senate and to the ranking members of their respective intelligence committees—the so-called Gang of Eight. Money for the operation can then be reprogrammed from previous appropriations, as needed, by the relevant congressional committees, which also can be briefed.

No more illusions, folks. This Congress and President are dead-set on setting their next sights on Iran. So far I haven't heard a comment from Presidential hopeful Barack Obama. Anyone ready for the War on Terror Round Three?