Ari Melber of The Nation, in a piece on the FISA fight today:

Matt Browner-Hamlin, a former blogger for Chris Dodd, works as an organizer for Credo Mobile on the FISA fight, and he emailed The Nation with this observation about the presidential candidates:

Senators Clinton and Obama rushed off the campaign trail to vote on the Farm Bill in November, ahead of the Iowa caucus. But with the Constitution on the line today for the second time in little more than a month, they both did absolutely nothing. No Democrat will mistake their inaction for leadership.

Thanks for the quote Ari.

The vote in question was on Senator Harkin’s Farm Bill, the sine qua non of issues Democratic pols are sure they’re right on when it comes to the Iowa caucus. Harkin’s bill failed, but Senators Clinton, Obama, Biden, and Dodd all left the trail to vote for this Iowa-related legislation.

At the time, Senator Clinton said, “This morning, I was proud to vote in favor of Senator Harkin’s Farm Bill the most significant piece of legislation for rural America that Congress has considered in recent years.”

Senator Obama was similarly enthusiastic about his decision to leave the campaign trail and vote alongside Senator Harkin,”I will continue to work with Chairman Harkin in fighting for America’s family farmers.”

Clinton spokesmodel Howard Wolfson confirmed to Jane Hamsher that she will not be coming back to Washington, though this was said before Republican obstructionism stopped today’s debate on FISA. Obama communicated his intentions through pure silence and absenteeism.

As I wrote to Ari Melber, I don’t think anyone will mistake Clinton and Obama’s inaction for leadership.

Barack Obama