Bush Pushes for Patriot Act Renewal

AP on Yahoo ^ | 1/3/06 | Jennifer Loven - ap

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON - As the clock runs on Congress' short-term extension of the Patriot Act, President Bush met with federal prosecutors Tuesday and contended that the domestic anti-terror law is vital to keeping Americans safe.

Many key provisions of the law were to expire Dec. 31. Amid a debate over whether the act sufficiently protects civil liberties, most Senate Democrats and a few Republicans united against legislation that would have renewed several provisions permanently while extending others for four years.

In a move the White House adamantly opposed but later accepted, Congress approved a one-month extension of the law in its current form to allow the debate to continue. The new measure expires Feb. 3.

Bush, his voice rising in apparent irritation, said lawmakers must act on a permanent renewal of the law that expanded the government's surveillance and prosecutorial powers against suspected terrorists, their associates and financiers. Noting the Patriot Act was overwhelmingly approved not long after the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, he said political considerations now were getting in the way.

"When it came time to renew the act, for partisan reasons, in my mind, people have not stepped up and have agreed that it's still necessary to protect the country," said the president, sitting at a table in the Roosevelt Room with federal officials and 19 district attorneys from around the country.

"The enemy has not gone away. They're still there. And I expect Congress to understand that we're still at war, and they got to give us the tools necessary to win this war," he said.

Later, outside the West Wing, district attorneys cited several cases in which the Patriot Act had played a crucial role, from staging an undercover sting on California weapons dealers attempting to sell Stinger missiles to securing convictions of major terrorist financiers in New York.

"We use it each and every day to protect our country against terrorists and criminals," said Ken Wainstein, district attorney for the District of Columbia.

"We believe this provides adequate safeguards in every respect," said Mary Beth Buchanan, the district attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Sen. Russ Feingold (news, bio, voting record), D-Wis., said Bush should spend more time negotiating about the Patriot Act with Democrats and others on Capitol Hill and less on "staged meetings with hand-picked participants" at the White House.

"Contrary to the president's misleading comments, nobody wants to see the Patriot Act expire," Feingold said. "We want commonsense changes to the act that would give the government the power to combat terrorism while protecting the rights and freedoms of law-abiding citizens."

The White House event drew 19 of the country's 93 U.S. attorneys. They were contacted by officials at the Justice Department to attend, Wainstein said.

Among the provisions the renewal would make permanent are those that allow roving wiretaps so that investigators can listen in on any telephone and tap any computer they think a terrorist might use.

[NormsRevenge]

U.S. President George W. Bush meets with administration officials and U.S. attorneys to discuss expiring provisions of the Patriot Act at the White House in Washington, January 3, 2006. From left are Oregon U.S. attorney Karin Immergut, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Bush, and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

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U.S. President George W. Bush meets with administration officials and U.S. attorneys to discuss expiring provisions of the Patriot Act at the White House in Washington, January 3, 2006. From left are Oregon U.S. attorney Karin Immergut, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Bush, and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

[swheats]

You know you just can't beat this President. The democrats and who ever leaked the info on wiretaps had better hope there is never another hit on American soil or any of our interests.

Their leaking of classified information could have impeded any progress in monitoring information that was deadly to America.

[eureka!]

"Sen. Russ Feingold (news, bio, voting record), D-Wis., said Bush should spend more time negotiating about the Patriot Act with Democrats and others on Capitol Hill and less on "staged meetings with hand-picked participants" at the White House. "

LOL. W's got 'em whining already. Hey Russ, he's in a bubble. He can't hear you. But he can speak over you directly to the people and that is what he is going to do. Hehehehe.....

[SaxxonWoods]

The Dems are getting one advantage out of this imbroglio over the Patriot Act. They are keeping Bush and Congress busy with something that should have already been done, which takes up valuable time that could be used to advance Bush's agenda.

[Soul Seeker]

Russ, he gave you attention for a year and you nitwits filled it investigating big oil and baseball and chasing your Great White Whale (Bush fruitlessly. I think the President made the better choice of spending time with people that know what they are talking about and do their jobs.

"The enemy has not gone away. They're still there. And I expect Congress to understand that we're still at war, and they got to give us the tools necessary to win this war," he said.

SLAM! And the fools on both aisles of Congress damn well deserve this hit! Instead of stripping us of interrogating terrorists, voting for resolutions to withdraw but not withdraw, giving terrorists rights to our courts will Our Gouse of Lords ciome out of their bubble known as Senate Chambers and realize there is a beheading with their name on it by people that are not impressed with their coifed hairdos?

[Soul Seeker]

correction- House of Lords

[nopardons]

bttt

[calex59]

I kind of liked gouse, not knowing what it meant exactly(or at all)it seemed kind of exotic. I was busy looking it up in the Dictionary when you posted the correction!

[Soul Seeker]

Well, maybe we could birth a new word and it could substitute for anything you want it to mean. ;-) It does sound more creative then my usual typos. lol

[demkicker]

Come on, Mr. President. Give us the names of the Republicans that don't plan to support renewing the Patriot Act (as is). It would also be helpful to know the names of Democrats who are up for re-election who don't plan to support it.

Many of us will be glad to give these idiots a piece of our minds and threaten them with losing the power they crave.

[IntheHillsGolden]

"Bush Pushes for Patriot Act Renewal"

His title is President Bush, and let's bring back the Patriot Act full force with NO expiration clause.