I finally got around to researching some of the details relating to "who's the skunk" and what the issues are on renewal of the Patriot Act. A few links below, none of which I've spent much time analyzing.
Specter is NOT threatening to delay the House/Senate accord.
H.R.3199 - This is the active bill
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:H.R.3199:
Summary of Senate amendments to H.R.3199
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR03199:@@@D&summ2=1&
S.1389 - Senate Version (useful only as raw comparison with H.R.3199)
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:s.01389:
Sunsetting provisions of Patriot Act - CRS-RL34499
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/34499.pdf
Links to additional Patriot Act Documents (FOIA requests, etc.)
http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/usapatriot/sunset.html
Nov 17 Letter from 6 Senators to Specter, Leahy, Roberts & Rockefeller
http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/usapatriot/senateletter_111705.pdf
Article regarding the effect of the letter (excerpts quoted below)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aV62ogQWNxLg&refer=us
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, is in talks with Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the panel's senior Democrat, and other lawmakers to build support for the accord [an agreement between House and Senate reelating to details of what the Senate would pass].Specter and his House counterpart, Representative James Sensenbrenner, a Wisconsin Republican, are trying to seal an agreement so it can be approved by both chambers before lawmakers leave at the end of this week for the Thanksgiving recess.
``We're working on it,'' Specter said. When asked about Feingold's threat to filibuster, he joked, ``He's got strong lungs.''
Senator Richard Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat, said Republican congressional leaders shouldn't underestimate the opposition to the accord.
Durbin said he would support Feingold's efforts to block a vote on the agreement. He declined to say whether enough Democrats would support the effort to sustain a filibuster, which requires 60 votes to overcome.
Durbin, Feingold, Sununu and three other senators sent a letter to Specter, Leahy and Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts and Jay Rockefeller, the panel's senior Democrat, saying they would oppose the agreement unless ``significant'' changes were made. ...
Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Larry Craig of Idaho and Democratic Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado also signed the letter.
... the House legislation provided fewer checks on government authority than the Senate version.
Senator Jeff Sessions, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said he was concerned Democrats and civil-liberties groups are trying to weaken the FBI's ability to conduct terrorism investigations.
In the current agreement, which he supports, ``We actually have more restrictions on terrorist investigators than on prosecutors and police all over America,'' said Sessions, an Alabama Republican.
Leahy still holds out hope a broadly supported agreement can be reached, said Tracy Schmaler, his spokeswoman.
Thanks for the update on that.
Hope you don't mind I'm going to copy some of that over to the Seante thread.
bttt