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Dead Constitution See other Dead Constitution Articles Title: Tentative Deal Is Reached on Patriot Act AP Special Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) -- A band of Senate Republican holdouts reached agreement Thursday with the White House on minor changes in the Patriot Act, hoping to clear the way for passage of anti-terror legislation stalled in a dispute over protection of civil liberties. Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., and three other GOP lawmakers - all of whom joined with Democrats last year to block a long-term extension of the law - were to announce the accord later Thursday. White House press secretary Scott McClellan pre-empted them, saying the changes "continue to build upon the civil liberties protections that are in place but do so in a way that doesn't compromise our national security priorities." "We're pleased that this important legislation is moving forward," he said. Advertisement Click to learn more... There was no immediate reaction from House Republicans, although several GOP officials said key lawmakers were informed of the proposed changes. One GOP official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the legislation was rewritten to make clear that an individual receiving a National Security Letter was not required to notify the FBI if he consulted a lawyer. These letters are secret requests for phone, business and Internet records. This official said a second proposed change would clarify that only libraries that are "electronic service providers" could be required to provide information to government agents as part of a terrorist investigation. A GOP agreement would put Senate Democrats in a politically difficult position of deciding whether to renew their filibuster on an issue of national security - an area where polling shows them trailing President Bush and the Republicans. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada said the agreement was "a step in the right direction." But two other Democrats swiftly denounced it as short of what was needed. "The few minor changes that the White House agreed to do not address the major problems with the Patriot Act that a bipartisan coalition has been trying to fix," said Sen. Russell Feingold of Wisconsin. Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, accused the White House of "naysaying and partisanship." Still, Leahy's statement stopped short of having the senator join in Feingold's threat to renew a filibuster that stalled the legislation last year. The law originally was passed within days of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the administration says it has been an important weapon in the government's arsenal for tracking suspected terrorists. Renewal of the law was blocked last year when critics said its provisions shortchanged civil liberties, particularly in the cases of individuals who were not suspected of terrorist activities themselves, but might have had innocent dealings with suspects. Also at issue was concern over the government's ability to demand information from libraries. As a result of the deadlock, lawmakers decided to extend the old law temporarily, a short-term solution that left the administration and many in Congress unhappy. The current extension expires March 10. Republicans said that with the changes, the chance would be remote that any library would have to turn over information. But Democrats said the same provision made explicit that some libraries could be forced to turn over information, adding that existing law is vague on the subject. Other than Sununu, the Republicans who had defied the president's wishes on the Patriot Act last December were Sens. Larry Craig of Idaho, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. The changes were worked out over several weeks in discussions that involved the lawmakers and White House counsel Harriet Miers, according to one Republican familiar with the compromise efforts. Officials who discussed the issue did so on condition of anonymity, saying they did not want to pre-empt a formal announcement. On Dec. 16, the Senate voted 52-47 to move to a final vote on the legislation, which deals specifically with 16 provisions in the act that Congress wanted reviewed and renewed by the end of last year. That was eight votes short of the 60 needed to end the filibuster.
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#1. To: Zipporah (#0)
How long is this next extension for?
I read that it's long term but I havent read any specifics..
Did you both notice how Bin Laden just happened to "appear" 2 weeks before the first extension of the Patriot Act was to expire (January 19th - 1-19). Now, out of a clear blue sky (and the nearing of the 2nd extension) we are notified that there was a nixing of the attempt by "the terroists" to attack the building in California. Boy, does OBL want that Patriot Act passed.
Now, out of a clear blue sky (and the nearing of the 2nd extension) we are notified that there was a nixing of the attempt by "the terroists" to attack the building in California. Boy, does OBL want that Patriot Act passed. How terribly convenient! Old Bin is Bush's closest ally :P
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