I Feel Like A Ping Pong Ball

Trying to follow the telecom immunity thing is serious business. The latest:

WASHINGTON — After its first secret session in a quarter-century, the House on Friday rejected retroactive immunity for the phone companies that took part in the National Security Agency’s warrantless eavesdropping program after the Sept. 11 attacks, and it voted to place greater restrictions on the government’s wiretapping powers.

The decision, by a largely party-line vote of 221 to 188, is one of the few times when Democrats have been willing to buck up against the White House on a national security issue. It also ensures that the months-long battle over the government’s wiretapping powers will drag on for at least a few more weeks and possibly much longer.

It would be nice to now declare victory. But you know it's still not over. The best outcome may be a stalemate until the election. In the meantime, the very fact that the Senate version wasn't ushered quickly over to Bush's crayon is a victory. Many thanks to the House of Reps leadership for responding to it's constituents.