The Kerry Line: John Kerry Politicizes the Patriot Act

George W. Bush ^ | May 24, 2004

[RWR8189]

"After voting for the Patriot Act, John Kerry attacks this common sense measure on the campaign trail in what has become his typical bait and switch. Kerry opposes a law that gives law enforcement the same tools to stop terrorists that are routinely used to fight drug dealers and organized crime."

-Steve Schmidt, Bush-Cheney '04 Spokesman

Senator Kerry Originally Supported The Patriot Act

Kerry Voted For The Patriot Act.

Kerry Said The Patriot Act Modernizes Our Ability To Fight Crime. SEN. JOHN KERRY: "It streamlines the ability of law enforcement to do its job. It modernizes our ability to fight crime. I’m a former prosecutor and I remember the hoops we had to jump through sometimes legitimately because we want to protect our citizens to get a search warrant, to do surveillance, to have eavesdropping take place. … This will streamline surveillance, wiretapping and other efforts so we have an ability and a modern technology communications world to be able to keep law enforcement up to speed." (Fox News Channel’s "Live Event," 10/25/01)

Now Candidate Kerry Attacks The Patriot Act

Running For President, Kerry Began Bashing The Patriot Act. "Kerry also expressed deep concern about the broad spying powers given to the government’s USA PATRIOT Act, and suggested that it would be closely reviewed when its expiration date comes up next year." (Laura McClure, "Dodging The War Issue, Again," Salon.com, 3/14/03)

Candidate Kerry Attacked The Patriot Act As Creating "Blind Spot In The American Justice System." "If you are sensitive to and care about civil liberties, you can make provisions to guarantee that there is not this blind spot in the American justice system that there is today under the Patriot Act." (Sen. John Kerry As Quoted On NPR’s "Morning Edition," 8/18/03)

Kerry Called For Replacing The Patriot Act With New Law. "So it is time to end the era of John Ashcroft. That starts with replacing the Patriot Act with a new law that protects our people and our liberties at the same time." (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At Iowa State University, 12/1/03)

Kerry: "We Are A Nation Of Laws And Liberties, Not Of A Knock In The Night." (Patrick Healy, "Kerry Pledges To End ‘Era Of Ashcroft,’" The Boston Globe, 12/2/03)

Senators Biden and Feinstein Back Patriot Act

Biden Says Situation Before Patriot Act Was "Crazy." Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) noted during debate on the Patriot Act, "The FBI could get a wiretap to investigate the mafia, but they could not get one to investigate terrorists. To put it bluntly, that was crazy! What's good for the mob should be good for terrorists." (Sen. Joe Biden, Congressional Record, 10/25/01, p. S11048)

Feinstein Says ACLU Has No Instances Of Actual Abuse Involving The Patriot Act. FEINSTEIN: "I have never had a single abuse of the Patriot Act reported to me. My staff e-mailed the ACLU and asked them for instances of actual abuses. They e-mailed back and said they had none." (Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Hearing Of The Senate Committee On The Judiciary, 10/21/03)

The Patriot Act Strengthens Law Enforcement, Protects Civil Rights

The Patriot Act Is Putting Terrorists Behind Bars. Since the Patriot Act was passed, 3 terrorist sleeper cells have been broken up in the United States -- in Buffalo, Portland, and Seattle -- and 176 individuals have been convicted or pled guilty after being charged with terrorism-related crimes. (Department of Justice, "Department of Justice Accomplishments in the War on Terror," http://www.lifeandliberty.gov/subs/a_terr.htm, Accessed 5/24/04)

Reno Says Sharing Issues Resolved By The Patriot Act. RENO: "With respect to sharing, one of the frustrations is that the bureau even when it finds that it has something doesn’t share, and it says it doesn’t share because the legal authorities prohibit it from sharing. But I haven’t been able to find with respect to the one instance of the two who came into this country and how we just missed them, what prevented anybody from sharing. Much of these issues -- many of these issues will or have been resolved by the passage of the Patriot Act or other statements." (Testimony Before 9/11 Commission, Washington, DC, 4/13/04)

DOJ Inspector General Finds No Civil Rights Infringements. When Congress passed the Patriot Act, it instructed the Inspector General of the Department of Justice to investigate whether the changes in the law resulted in civil rights abuses. For more than two years, the Inspector General has advertised on television and radio and in newspapers encouraging individuals to report allegations of abuse. The Inspector General has received over 3,500 complaints, but has concluded that not one of them -- even assuming that the allegations contained in the complaints were true -- had anything to do with a substantive provision of the Patriot Act. (Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, "Report to Congress on Implementation of Section 1001 of the USA PATRIOT Act," 1/27/04)

[inflation]

One reason the patriot act upsets people is that we where under the impression that all these new powers would only be used to fight terrorism.

Didn't quite work out that way, did it?

[Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit]

Wow, has time stopped for you?

So you are comfortable with the thought of the Democrats with these powers too?

Naive may be a word adopted from the French, but perhaps it applies in this case nevertheless.

[inflation]

Did you read what I wrote? I have argued that the otherside will regain power at sometime in the future in previous posts and the result wasn't very good. Seeing as how I have a new account I can not just come out and say that, because hen I do I get more than a few emails saying that they have reported me to the mods and they want to have my account killed. ;->

[Cobra64]

Did you read what I wrote? I have argued that the otherside will regain power at sometime in the future in previous posts and the result wasn't very good.

I don't have a clue what you are saying. You might want to get your logic straight, and focus on clarity.

[AFPhys]

I know of nothing which the Patriot Act has been used for that I would not be happy with being pursued by even a 'Toon administration.

Perhaps you are concerned about something prosecutable in your life?