What Obama should have said

"I salute the efforts that House Democrats have made in reaching across the aisle to restore our Constitution, but I have repeatedly said that I would support a filibuster on any FISA bill which included retroactive immunity, and I will. I will work with Senate colleagues to ensure that the Justice Department has the opportunity to prosecute those who engaged in unconstitutional activity, and in my administration, I will ensure that the Justice Department takes that opportunity very seriously.

Once the retroactive immunity portions of the FISA bill are removed, I will support it, because although the bill is imperfect, it strikes the right balance between ensuring our national security and protecting our Constitutional rights."

Would that have been so fucking hard?

Don't get me wrong, the FISA bill is still crap. But if Obama had taken the above tack, he'd retain the upside (perception of bipartisanship) while eliminating a large portion of the downside. Not to mention living up to what he said as little as three months ago, dammit.