Patriot Act Extension Shot Down

[BlueHair]

The bill to extend 3 of the most controversial parts of the Patriot Act failed to get enough votes in the House. It will probably pass later in the month, but I'm shocked it didn't pass this time. An unlikely coalition of Democrats, Libertarian Republicans, and Tea Partiers help block its passage.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...020806345.html

[venkman]

Good.

[Coach McGuirk]

This is great news

[Uncle Ted]

I am not holding my breath...

It missed passing by seven votes. The FBI/CIA/NSA will request a closed door session in the house, have someone like Colin Powell show some pictures of WMD's or some other "intelligence" they have laying around to scare the hell out of people and ask "do you want the blood of american lives on your hands?". Maybe they will even throw in some "pork" for the last few hold outs. The house will call for a re-vote and it will most likely pass. After maybe doing the same in the senate it will make it to the presidents desk. Obama, who was a constitutional law professor and knows better, will sign it the second it touches his desk.

[Coach McGuirk]

I am not holding my breath...

It missed passing by seven votes. The FBI/CIA/NSA will request a closed door session in the house, have someone like Colin Powell show some pictures of WMD's or some other "intelligence" they have laying around to scare the hell out of people and ask "do you want the blood of american lives on your hands?". Maybe they will even throw in some "pork" for the last few hold outs. The house will call for a re-vote and it will most likely pass. After maybe doing the same in the senate it will make it to the presidents desk. Obama, who was a constitutional law professor and knows better, will sign it the second it touches his desk.

They won't even have to do that as the revote will only require majority and not the super majority that the first vote called for.

[Uncle Ted]

They won't even have to do that as the revote will only require majority and not the super majority that the first vote called for.

dammit.

[BlueHair]

I was surprised to see Jason Chaffetz vote for it. He votes against everything. I'm also surprised that Obama and most Republicans want it, and the Democrats are against it. Democrats are usually stronger on civil rights, but to go against Obama takes some courage. How cool would it be if the freshmen could put this thing down?

[il Padrino Ute]

Great news. If there is another vote, we can only hope that those who made the correct choice this time will still have the guts to not succumb to the pressure of those who want to limit freedom.

[Uncle Ted]

Here are the details on vote:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote...-26&sort=party

[Uncle Ted]

Oh, the Irony...

Sometimes the irony of two news events that happen on the same day is almost surreal. Today, we have news that the Obama administration is pushing the Mubarak government to immediately end the Egypt’s “Emergency Law,” which gives the President sweeping powers to violate the rights of the country’s citizens.

[...]

On the very same day, we also learn that the Obama administration is pushing for another three-year extension of our emergency and “temporary” Patriot Act, even after a new EFF report found that the “FBI may have committed upwards of 40,000 possible intelligence violations” since the law passed.

[Indy Coug]

Egypt's emergency law makes the US Patriot Act seem like an 8 year old elementary school hall monitor.

[Jacob]

I'm also surprised that Obama and most Republicans want it, and the Democrats are against it. Democrats are usually stronger on civil rights, but to go against Obama takes some courage. How cool would it be if the freshmen could put this thing down?

Congress is a strange animal. From what I've read, the Democrats are not actually opposed to it. Not all of them anyway. Many are in favor of extending it, but want it extended until 2013, rather than just one year so that it doesn't pop up again around election time. So, some of the dems will also hop on board next time the vote comes up.

[Jacob]

And I don't like this quote from Chaffetz:

"This is just a temporary extension, so the Judiciary Committee can dive a little deeper into the details," said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), a second-term lawmaker closely aligned with tea party activists. "That seemed fair. I don't want to let it expire without giving it full contemplation."

9 years isn't enough for full contemplation?

[Uncle Ted]

Just when I thought the patriot act was going to finally expire and President Obama was going to keep his campaign promises (restrict warrantless wiretaps and increase oversight on government surveillance) ...

Obama signs temporary extension of Patriot Act (without the approval of congress)

President Barack Obama has signed a three-month extension of key surveillance provisions of the Patriot Act.

The law extends two areas of the 2001 act. One provision allows law enforcement officials to set roving wiretaps to monitor multiple communication devices. The other allows them to ask a special court for access to business and library records that could be relevant to a terrorist threat.

A third provision gives the FBI court-approved rights for surveillance of non-American "lone wolf" suspects — those not known to be tied to specific terrorist groups.

Obama signed the three-month extension of the provisions Friday. They were to expire Monday.

[woot]

Just when I thought the patriot act was going to finally expire and President Obama was going to keep his campaign promises (restrict warrantless wiretaps and increase oversight on government surveillance) ...

Obama signs temporary extension of Patriot Act (without the approval of congress)

Obama made no promises to get rid of the patriot act. He only wanted to make the illegal stuff that Bush did legal. This extension of certain provisions of the patriot act is ostensibly to allow time for debate and to try to put things in place to allow the legal continuation of some of the illegal practices.

I don't like what Obama's doing, and he's certainly broken a lot of campaign promises, but this doesn't seem to be one of them.