Some Friday Newsie Stuff

Phone-Jam-A-Rama AP reports Dems want to depose ex-RNC chief in phone jamming civil suit. Democrats are suing New Hampshire Republicans to find out how far up the chain of command the phone jamming plot reached, which tied up Democratic and a nonpartisan get-out-the-vote and ride-to-the-polls phone lines for more than an hour on Nov. 5, 2002, before Republicans called it off. The motion includes a request for White House phone and cell phone records. --- Specter Just Making It Up As He Goes Along Walter Pincus for WaPo reports Specter Offers Compromise on NSA Surveillance. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee has proposed legislation that would give President Bush the option of seeking a warrant from a special court for an electronic surveillance program such as the one being conducted by the National Security Agency. … Another part of the Specter bill would grant blanket amnesty to anyone who authorized warrantless surveillance under presidential authority, a provision that seems to ensure that no one would be held criminally liable if the current program is found illegal under present law. --- Glenn Greenwald reviews the story, and while criticizing Specter he also asks (excepting Russ Feingold) "where are all the great, heroic Senate Democrats who are standing up to the administration on these issues in a way that Specter isn't?" via georgia10 at dailykos --- Texas Democrats: DeLay Won His Primary, His Name Must Be On The Ballot AP reports The Texas Democratic Party won a temporary restraining order Thursday blocking the process that would name a replacement for Republican U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay on the November ballot. … State Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie said Democrats are trying to keep the GOP from creating a "sham vacancy" for the Republican nomination for the 22nd Congressional District. Richie said DeLay intentionally waited until after the primary to get out of the race, announcing he would abandon his re-election campaign and move to the Washington suburbs. He said the GOP then declared DeLay ineligible, assuming he would move from the state, and started a replacement nomination process while he was still in Congress and eligible for the ballot. --- georgia10 at dailykos explains "At issue is whether the public record "conclusively" proves that DeLay is a resident of Virginia--and therefore ineligible to remain on the ballot. If it's "conclusive" that he is a Virginia resident, the state GOP can remove his name from the ballot and add another. If it's not "conclusive" (or if the Texas Dems win on their constitutional argument), then DeLay's name must remain on the ballot--even though he has officially resigned from Congress today." via TPM Muckraker