A group of Blue Dog Democrats in the United States House of Representatives are now helping House Republicans by endorsing the Senate-passed bill that grants retroactive immunity to the telecom giants for their participation in the Bush administration’s illegal spying on millions of innocent American citizens.

Congressional Quarterly and the Daily Kos are now reporting that the House Republicans will try to derail the effort to pass a 21 day extension of the existing surveillance law and force a vote on the Senate bill that grants retroactive immunity to the telecom giants for their participation in the Bush administration’s illegal spying on millions of innocent American citizens.

House Republicans engineered a series of procedural votes Wednesday in a bid to derail the Democrats’ prooposed extension, which President Bush said Wednesday he would veto. They argued that the House should simply take up and send to the White House a surveillance overhaul bill (HR 3773) that the Senate passed by 68-29 Tuesday.

Because 21 conservative Blue Dog Democrats have endorsed the Senate-passed bill, Republicans might be able to win approval of the Senate bill through a motion to recommit the extension with instructions to amend it with the text of the Senate bill.

The Blue Dogs that have endorsed the Senate passed bill wrote to Pelosi last week, according to CQ, and some House Democrats were prepared to support immunity, regardless, according to DK.

In a letter dated Jan. 28, 21 Democrats in the conservative Blue Dog Coalition sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., supporting immunity and listing other provisions that they believed were needed in a FISA bill.

They wrote that the Senate bill “contains satisfactory language addressing all these issues, and we would fully support that measure should it reach the House floor without substantial change.”

“If this bad bill is jammed through the House of Representatives, it will be their fault,” says DK. “Call them and tell them to support the RESTORE Act without modification, and to support the 21 day extension of the current law. Tell them to stop enabling the Republicans and Bush in taking away our civil liberties.”

Here are those Blue Dogs:

* Rep. Leonard L. Boswell, D-Iowa — Phone: (202) 225-3806, Fax: (202) 225-5608

* Rep. Marion Berry, D-Ark. — Phone: (202) 225-4076, Fax: (202) 225-5602

* Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark. — Phone: (202) 225-3772, Fax: (202) 225-1314

* Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D. — Phone: (202) 225-2611, Fax: (202) 226-0893

* Rep. Robert E. “Bud” Cramer, D-Ala. — Phone: (202) 225-4801, Fax: (202) 225-4392

* Rep. Melissa Bean, D-Ill. — Phone: (202) 225-3711, Fax: (202) 225-7830

* Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C. — Phone: (202) 225-6401, Fax: (202) 226-6422

* Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga. — Phone: (202) 225-2823, Fax: (202) 225-3377

* Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Fla. — Phone: (202) 225-5235, Fax: (202) 225-5615

* Rep. Joe Baca, D-Calif. — Phone: (202) 225-6161, Fax: (202) 225-8671

* Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla. — Phone: (202) 225-2701, Fax: (202) 225-3038

* Rep. John Tanner, D-Tenn. — Phone: (202) 225-4714, Fax: (202) 225-1765

* Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah — Phone: (202) 225-3011, Fax: (202) 225-5638

* Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn. — Phone: (202) 225-4311, Fax: (202) 226-1035

* Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn. — Phone: (202) 225-6831, Fax: (202) 226-5172

* Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind. — Phone: (202) 225-4636, Fax: (202) 225-3284

* Rep. Tim Holden, D-Pa. — Phone: (202) 225-5546, Fax: (202) 226-0996

* Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La. — Phone: (202) 225-4031, Fax: (202) 226-3944

* Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan. — Phone: (202) 225-2865, Fax: (202) 225-2807

* Rep. Christopher Carney, D-Pa. — Phone: (202) 225-3731, Fax: (202) 225-9594

* Rep. Zack Space, D-Ohio — Phone: (202) 225-6265, Fax: (202) 225-3394

Tags: Domestic Surveillance, Liberty vs. Security

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