Collins Slams Allen on FISA

Collins camp internet czar Lance Dutson posts a press release from the campaign under the title, "TOM ALLEN VOTES (AGAIN) TO JEOPARDIZE THE SAFETY OF AMERICAN PEOPLE." And it gets better:

Congressman Tom Allen chose politics over the safety and security of the American people by voting Friday with a small minority against a bipartisan compromise that would modernize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA

A couple of points.

First, we're beginning to see a pattern from the Collins folks where any vote, action or suggestion they disagree with is condemned as "politics." Sen. Collins wants everyone to think of her (facts be damned) as some kind of transcendent, non-partisan figure. And so the argument seems to be that anyone who disagrees with her is, ipso facto, playing politics.

Second, about the substance: Nowhere in Collins' release does she mention that the bill grants retroactive legal immunity to telecom companies that broke the law by violating privacy agreements with their customers, or that the legislation would scuttle a lawsuit against the companies by Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe and a complaint currently before the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

In fact, I don't believe Collins has ever fully explained why huge corporations that spied illegally on their customers deserve get-out-of-jail free cards, or which other business interests she thinks deserve the right to break the law with impunity.

But I'm sure her explanation--assuming we ever get one--will have nothing whatsoever to do with politics.

UPDATE: A statement from Rep. Allen:

As I have stated before, neither the government nor large telecommunications corporations are above the law; everyone must be held accountable. This ‘compromise’ fails to hold either the Bush administration or the telecommunications companies to the same standards that apply to other Americans.