FISA bill may be a no-go

by Amanda Erickson and updated

Senate Democrats will try to push the vote on a controversial domestic spying bill off until after the July 4 recess, Senate sources are reporting.

The measure, which would offer retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that cooperated with the federal government 's warrant-less requests to eavesdrop, is being fiercely criticized by a handful of lawmakers, including Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and Chris Dodd (D-Conn.).

Earlier this week, presidential hopeful Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said he would support the bill, a reversal of his earlier position. "After months of negotiation, the House today passed a compromise that, while far from perfect, is a marked improvement over last year's Protect America Act," Obama wrote in a statement. "It is not all that I would want. But given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay."

But soon after, rumors about his support began flying. Today, some in his press office said he "planned to" filibuster the bill, but others weren't as sure. Now, it looks like he won't have to, at least not until after break.