I was against FISA before I voted for it. That is change we can believe in!

UPDATE: Here are Mr. Obama’s quotes regarding FISA:

January 28, 2008 | Source: http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/fib/gG55gz

“I strongly oppose retroactive immunity in the FISA bill.”
…
“The FISA court works. The separation of power works. We can trace, track down and take out terrorists while ensuring that our actions are subject to vigorous oversight, and do not undermine the very laws and freedom that we are fighting to defend.”
“No one should get a free pass to violate the basic civil liberties of the American people – not the President of the United States, and not the telecommunications companies that fell in line with his warrantless surveillance program. We have to make clear the lines that cannot be crossed.”

That is why I am co-sponsoring Senator Dodd’s amendment to remove the immunity provision. ... I share your commitment to this cause, and will stand with you in the fights to come.

But … On June 20, 2008 | Source:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0608/Obama_backs_FISA_compromise.html (try as I might I could not find Mr. Obama’s statement on his web page. It appears as if Mr. Obama is trying to minimize or hide his support of this bill from the true Obama believers:

“Given the grave threats that we face, our national security agencies must have the capability to gather intelligence and track down terrorists before they strike, while respecting the rule of law and the privacy and civil liberties of the American people.”

This is rather disingenuous from a candidate that does not even list “Terror” “war on terror” or “fight against terrorism” on his own website.

The added hypocritical comedy is that the leftist blog community called for Mr. Bush’s ouster based on his support of the *exact same* immunity provisions that Mr. Obama voted in support of!

“But it wasn’t until the most recent revelations that President Bush directed the wiretapping of hundreds, possibly thousands, of Americans, in violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) — and argued that, as Commander in Chief, he had the right in the interests of national security to override our country’s laws — that I felt the same sinking feeling in my stomach as I did during Watergate.

As a matter of constitutional law, these and other misdeeds constitute grounds for the impeachment of President Bush.” Source: http://www.alternet.org/story/30705/

“How are you going to get a warrant to spy on millions, or tens of millions, of Americans? Bush said that Congress demanding that Bush abide by FISA was preventing Bush from protecting Americans from terrorists. Knowing what you now know about FISA, does that seem like a reasonable charge?

As you can see, complaints about Bush’s fascism, totalitarianism, authoritarianism, royalism or monarchism are not just semantic games and attempts at character assassination. There really are grounds for making such charges about him.” Source: http://robertlindsay.blogspot.com/2007/03/perils-of-king-george-bush.html 

Back in the day, Mr. Obama supported Chris Dodd’s oppostion to the immunity provisions. Here is what Mr. Dodd thinks of the immunity provisions Mr. Obama just voted in support of:

“That, Mr. President, I don’t know. And if this bill passes in its current form, we will never know. The president’s favored corporations will be immune.

Their arguments will never be heard in a court of law. The details of their actions will stay hidden. The truth behind this unprecedented domestic spying will never see light. And the book on our government’s actions will be closed, and sealed, and locked, and handed over to the safe-keeping of those few whom George Bush trusts to keep a secret.” Source: http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/12/17/145410/90

Whatever gets you votes Mr. Obama … that’s politics as usual. The only change you are concerned with is changing your word, your promise … your honor.