Mr. Feingold Pouts in Washington

Thankfully, the Senate got its act together and decided not to hand terrorists a victory by letting the Patriot Act expire.

With its renewal, assuming the House approves the Act next week, we have a better chance of maintaining the U.S. as a terror-free zone.

Accommodations were included to assuage concerns that the Act gave the government license to hack away at American civil liberties.

What's not to love?

If you're reckless on national security issues and opportunistic like Russ Feingold, there's plenty.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate on Thursday gave its blessing to the renewal of the USA Patriot Act after adding new privacy protections designed to strike a better balance between civil liberties and the government's power to root out terrorists.

The 89-10 vote marked a bright spot in President Bush's troubled second term as his approval ratings dipped over the war in Iraq and his administration's response to Hurricane Katrina. Renewing the act, Bush and congressional Republicans said, was key to preventing more terror attacks in the United States.

Can AP put out a report that manages to mention President Bush without bringing up Iraq and Katrina?

When it reports on this year's White House Easter Egg Roll, I predict that the story will somehow include a reference to the "troubled" Bush Presidency, Iraq, and Katrina.

Happy Easter! Power hungry Bush has destroyed the world!
Bush applauded the Senate for overcoming "partisan attempts to block its passage." The House was expected to approve the two-bill package next week and send it to the president, who would sign it before 16 provisions expire March 10.

"This bill will allow our law enforcement officials to continue to use the same tools against terrorists that are already used against drug dealers and other criminals, while safeguarding the civil liberties of the American people," Bush said in a statement from India.

Critics held their ground. A December filibuster led by Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., and joined by several libertarian-leaning Republicans, forced the Bush administration to agree to modest new curbs on the government's power to probe library, bank and other records.

Yes, it was in mid-December when Harry Reid proudly proclaimed, "We killed the Patriot Act."

What a great moment for Dems and RINOs that was!

Republicans need to remind Americans about the December filibuster, as well as Feingold's dance on the Senate floor yesterday.
Feingold insisted those new protections are cosmetic.

"Americans want to defeat terrorism and they want the basic character of this country to survive and prosper," he said. "They want both security and liberty, and unless we give them both _ and we can if we try _ we have failed."

Of course, Russ is still whining. His support among the radical Left is based on Russ' relentless, albeit groundless, rants.

He can't let them down because he knows that they will savage him if he concedes to common sense.

Some lawmakers who voted for the package acknowledged deep reservations about the power it would grant to any president.

"Our support for the Patriot Act does not mean a blank check for the president," said Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who voted to pass the bill package. "What we tried to do on a bipartisan basis is have a better bill. It has been improved."

Once again, Reid proves himself to be a dithering, irresolute dolt.

I say it often because I can't say it enough.

Reid is the leader of the MINORITY for a reason.

The people voted to keep MAJORITY status out of the hands of the likes of Reid. They've rejected the Dems.

...For now, Bush and his Republican allies savored a significant victory. For months, their tough-on-terror image has been tarnished by the revelation that the president authorized a secret domestic wiretapping program. The report in December gave Democrats ammunition for their charge that the Bush administration had run amok in its zeal to root out terrorists.

The terrorist surveillance program has been misrepresented consistently by libs and their Old Media mouthpieces. Naturally, an AP story would continue to misrepresent the program and paint the Bush Administration as running amok.

Same old, same old.


With the help of some Republicans, they blocked a vote on whether to renew the law before 16 provisions expired on Dec. 31.

GOP leaders were unable to break the gridlock, so Congress opted instead to extend the deadline twice while negotiations continued. In the end, the White House and the Republicans broke the stalemate by crafting a second measure that would curb some powers of law enforcement officials seeking information. Both will be sent as a package to Bush.

An extension was necessary because Dems postured and played politics.

They knew that they would suffer if they held out against the Patriot Act for too long. They stalled just long enough to appease the wacko Left, but most Dems never intended to "kill" it.

Only the leftiest of the Left want to protect the rights of terrorists in exchange for putting Americans at greater risk of 9/11-type attacks.
...The "no" votes came from Jim Jeffords, I-Vt., and Feingold, Byrd and seven other Senate Democrats: Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Carl Levin of Michigan, Patty Murray of Washington and Ron Wyden of Oregon.

Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, did not vote.

Pay attention liberal fringe of the Democratic Party.

Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Joe Biden, and Evan Bayh voted "yes."

These potential 2008 presidential candidates betrayed you today, but don't worry.

You'll always have Feingold.