Posted on 12/16/2005 2:25:18 PM PST by SirLinksalot
Senate Blocks Patriot Act Legislation By Richard B. Schmitt Times Staff Writer
1:48 PM PST, December 16, 2005
The Senate, in a bipartisan show of strength, blocked legislation today to renew the USA Patriot Act — a surprising and dramatic rebuff to President Bush that reflected rising concern over his handling of the war on terrorism.
The failed vote to end debate and consider a bill that the House easily approved this week left the fate of the terror-fighting law, critical portions of which are due to expire Dec. 31, unclear at the eleventh hour. Four Republicans broke ranks.
It was the second policy reversal in as many days for the president who, on Thursday, bowed to congressional pressure and agreed to accept a formal ban on the use of cruel or inhumane treatment of U.S. detainees. The administration had said such a restriction might undermine U.S. interrogation efforts.
The vote coincided with a published report in today's New York Times that Bush authorized a program to eavesdrop on hundreds of Americans after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 without getting the approval of a court. The story reported that some constitutional scholars thought the activities might have broken federal law.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Here's How they voted:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00358
Good for them.
I'm glad to hear that at least someone in this country hasn't forgotten the founders' knowledged that governments foreign and domestic were entities to be watched with equal degrees of caution.
I hate to say it and thought that the following statement would even require second thought after 9/11 and increasing hostilities from the muslims worldwide since. But, I'm afraid it's gonna take another 9/11 like attack on US soil again to re-wake the morons up in this country.
Clinton did the opposite....and the people love him.
This is not the same country into which I was born!
And as far as torture is concerned.....
If Senator McCains' family was in jeopardy, and some lowlife had valuable information, he would be first in line with jumper cables and a car battery!!
Huh?
The House and Senate will get together and compromise on a deal.
I think I'll ask Santa for another rifle for Christmas and a LOT of ammo. We're going to need it folks.
So if we get hit by one or more 911's who is going to get blamed. The Senators that voted against the Patriot act or the President.
Well we know who the US press will say is at fault...but I hope people remember.
You just don't get it. This isn't a "good thing" at all. We meed the Patriot Act.
I would not consider it a policy reversal for the President so much as a policy reversal for all Americans.
Just hope some joker doesn't slip through, kill several thousand again, and the Democrats try to blame GWB for NOT doing enough.
I don't feel quite as safe w/o the Patriot Act. Could be in the minority in this, but I think most Americans feel the same.
Honestly folks, how many ordinary American rights have been violated as a result of the Patriot Act ? How many people's library borrowing habits have been spied upon ?
We ought to ask ourselves if the cost of having this act in place (i.e., greater surviellance) exceeds the benefits ( e.g. more potential terrorist cells busted and captured ).
I'm not entirely sure if this recent development is a good thing... haven't made up my mind one way or the other.
"rising concern over his handling of the war on terrorism" - sounds like the LA Times' fabricated concern, not mine. Many of the Senators voting against cloture are the same ones who say the war on terrorism hasn't made us any safer. So they want to weaken the Patriot Act to make us safer? Or maybe they don't really believe what they say about the war not making us safer? Or maybe they don't care about security at all? Or maybe they are just reckless, stupid, or totally dishonest about everything? I think that's it.
If Larry Craig voted against renewal , there is good reason for it . He's a true Constitutionalist and a watch dog of the Second Amendment . I suspect there are some serious privacy infringements in this bill if he is opposing it .
Looks like the Democrats REALLY want us to LOSE the war on terror and a few Republicans have given them COVER. I noticed Frist on the NAY side. Isn't he the Republican Majority Leader. How can he lead on this? or ANYTHING?
And two Democrats.
You mean like when the FBI gets a call from a flight school saying that one of its Middle Eastern students only wants to learn about flying and not landing, and has been displaying other suspicious patterns, and the FBI utterly fails to follow up on that?
Dammit! Will these RINO/Coward/Clowns get behind the President for once. I've already called my spineless fool.
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