Declan McCullagh:

From: "Shabbir J. Safdar" <shabbir@vtw.org>

Subject: Re: CDT Policy Post 3.08 - Senate Committee Approves Key Crypto B ill

A little more of polisci 101:

These 8 members of Congress didn't just vote in our favor here, they've placed crypto on an agenda at a higher level than something else they wanted to get through the committee. Imagine being Sen. Burns, and knowing that you have just placed your own agenda at risk in order to stand up for crypto, knowing there's a non-neglible chance you might lose.

By sheer definition, you've placed crypto on your agenda higher than something else. Not only am I really damn happy to see this, but very happy to know that 8 senators think so little of the key recovery that they'd jeapordize their own agendas for it.

We owe them a great big debt of thanks, not the derision that goes with Alice in Wonderland political punditry.

Imagine! Shabbir's obvious amazement that a senator would put support of our Constitutional rights above his own "agenda" is very telling. Like most of those senators, he's been in Washington too long. It seems not to occur to those in D.C. that the very idea of congress deigning to tell us how we can communicate with each other is utterly offensive.