(This Washington Times editorial) notes in passing Chuck Schumer's claim that the New York Times story about the NSA's spying on al Qaeda phone calls to the U.S. "greatly" influenced his vote to filibuster the Patriot Act. Schumer's claim is almost surely false. Like many liberal Democrats, Schumer is an idelogically driven opponent of the president's approach to the war on terror. Can Schumer point to any pronouncement suggesting that he was inclined to permit the Patriot Act to be extended until he read the Times' piece? Perhaps, but I doubt it. Nor does the Times' story provide Schumer or...
