Senator Christopher Dodd has threatened to put a hold on the bill that will retroactively give immunity to telecoms who assisted in the Bush domestic spying plan.

Guessing is that, since he has to stay on the Senate floor while it is in session to maintain the hold, he won't last long. Apparently about a week is normal.

I'm guessing that as a RPCV he's been through a lot requiring patience and will last a bit longer than average, though not the length of the campaign for the Democratic nomination.

Perhaps he is gambling that the mere threat will cause a revision of the bill. He doesn't strike me as a gambling man.

Gentlemen take your seats. This could be a good show no matter how long it lasts.

The ablity of a single senator to put a hold on nominations or legislation before the Senate is a powerful tool that more senators seem willing to use now.

Strange rustlings of senators getting out of bed with the torturers in the white house may be due to Dick Durbin's recent decision to put a hold on the nomination of Stephen Bradbury to become legal counsel to our Torturer-in-chief.

What's more he sent the message during hearings, which I saw broadcast on c-span today, for Mukasey to become Attorney General replacing Gonzales.

Mukasey obviously did not take the hint and continues to waffle on whether the president of the United States can be the sole determinant of what is or is not torture.

This guy's position sounds eerily familiar. He is a lot more intelligent than Gonzalez but apparently equally willing to kow-tow to Bush/Cheney's obvious definition of the Imperial Presidency.

But then what more should we have expected from someone who has obviously gotten Bush's seal of approval. What should concern us all is that Patrick Leahy apparently pre-maturely endorsed the torture-lite.