June 10, 2005
JERICHO PARTY:
Patriot Act, Part II: The political tug of war intensifies: Bush calls for strengthening the antiterror law, while critics worry about greater potential for civil-rights abuses. (Linda Feldmann, 6/10/05, The Christian Science Monitor)
In seemingly short order, discussion around the Patriot Act has shifted from defense to offense.Just two months ago, when Congress set out to consider renewal of the antiterrorism law, civil libertarians were hopeful they could rein in aspects that they felt went too far. Now, supporters of an enhanced Patriot Act appear to be making headway as they push to give the FBI new powers.
Thursday, President Bush weighed in on the side of a beefed-up Patriot Act, including making permanent the 16 provisions set to expire at the end of the year and giving FBI agents new powers. In a speech at the Ohio Patrol Training Academy in Columbus, he called on Congress to renew the act's temporary provisions.
"For the state of our national security, Congress must not rebuild a wall between law enforcement and intelligence," he said.
There's somethng about Republican presidents and walls... Posted by Orrin Judd at June 10, 2005 12:23 PM
But they make good neighbors.
Posted by: ghostcat at June 10, 2005 5:07 PMAnother pointless argument. The Patriot Act didn't and won't have much effect on civil liberties nor anti-terror efforts. It's simply a scam that both sides use to avoid doing anything useful or significant.
Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at June 10, 2005 6:26 PMThe wall between law enforcemnemt and intelligence was designed to shield the fact that Democrat campaigns accept money from unfriendly foreign powers.
That cat is now out of the bag: Gore got caught doing it and had to give the money back. There is no longer any need to wiretap their campaign headquarters is the hope of catching them at it.
Posted by: Lou Gots at June 10, 2005 7:50 PM