Senate Republicans vote against accountability

In an 8-7 vote split along party lines the Senate Intelligence Committee decided not to investigate the White House's NSA surveillance program, and instead will create an oversight subcommittee comprised of 4 Republicans and 3 Democrats, all but assuring that the extent to which our 4th Amendment rights have been violated by the President's authorization of surveillance outside the scope of the FISA courts will remain a mystery to the public.

This is an outrage. And at this point, to say such almost seems trite since there are so many. Glenn Greenwald points out how truly craven it was for Republicans like Chuck Hagel to vote for this when they had previously expressed concern over the legality of the program.

I'm finding it hard to view these politicians as anything but enemies of democracy, despite having Sydney Hooke's exhortation to do otherwise in the back of my mind. It is an insult for these politicians to talk as if they are for one thing, and then act as if they are for another. It makes a mockery of democracy.

This is an insult to the people whom these politicians are supposed to represent the interests of. It is not their job to protect the President from accountability. Are there no men of conscience left in the Republican Party? Are there no men or women willing to stand against the President on principle? The 4th Amendment rights of the entire nation may have been violated, yet these Senators can't be bothered to call for an investigation.

How can the true constituents of these Senators tolerate them when they do not have the backbone that is necessary to speak for the people they were elected to represent?

Blogger's Note - The comments section of the Greenwald post are worth looking at, as several of the commenters identify the problems that allow this sort of activity to occur unchecked.