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House Rejects Extending Three Patriot Act Provisions

Tea Partiers helped defeat a House Bill to extend three controversial provisions of the Patriot Act until December. The provisions expire next month:

The Patriot Act bill would have renewed the authority for court-approved roving wiretaps that permit surveillance on multiple phones. Also addressed was Section 215, the so-called library records provision, which gives the FBI court-approved access to "any tangible thing" relevant to a terrorism investigation.

The third deals with the "lone-wolf" provision of a 2004 anti-terror law that permits secret intelligence surveillance of non-U.S. people not known to be affiliated with a specific terror organization.

Obama sought a three year extension. Senate Republicans want to make them permanent. It is likely to be a temporary victory:

Republican leaders will bring the bill back to the floor under a rule, where it will almost certainly secure the 218-vote threshold.

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  • Display: Sort:
    And no one - not even here - will (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by inclusiveheart on Tue Feb 08, 2011 at 09:11:53 PM EST
    question why this President wouldn't veto anything.  Because we are all conditioned to believe that whatever Congress sends to Obama will be approved and signed.

    This country is falling apart and the irony is that it is being destroyed based the conceit of bipartisan cooperation.  God forbid  a president says, "Hell, no."  That would be too polarizing.

    Nice knowing you, American democracy.  So long and thanks for all the fish!

    We know why he wouldn't veto it... (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by jtaylorr on Tue Feb 08, 2011 at 09:35:26 PM EST
    "Obama sought a three year extension."

    Pretty obvious.

    Cue the apologists (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by ruffian on Wed Feb 09, 2011 at 11:57:13 AM EST
    "He is just extending it until after he is re-elected, then he will change into Super Civil Libertyman and revoke it."

    Parent
    Yet we preach to Egypt and (5.00 / 3) (#3)
    by oculus on Tue Feb 08, 2011 at 09:51:16 PM EST
    Congress is trying to send our Pres. a bill enabling Pres. to shut down internet in cases of emergency.

    Pretty sad day when the Tea Partiers (5.00 / 2) (#4)
    by shoephone on Wed Feb 09, 2011 at 01:25:05 AM EST
    are the ones looking out for our civil liberties.

    Sure, but I'll take it (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by Raskolnikov on Wed Feb 09, 2011 at 09:22:14 AM EST
    Almost like with a parliamentary system where you have some very odd match-ups for some votes.  Civil liberties are one place where the libertarian right and the liberal left happen to agree more often than not.

    Parent
    Indeed... (none / 0) (#6)
    by kdog on Wed Feb 09, 2011 at 09:29:14 AM EST
    and it is an arena where a third party could make some real headway...civil liberties.  Left-leaners and right-leaners alike don't like the road we're on with civil liberties.

    Brand D and Brand R are no friends to liberty for the most part, with a few exceptions.

    Parent

    Someone needs to establish (none / 0) (#7)
    by Raskolnikov on Wed Feb 09, 2011 at 10:17:59 AM EST
    the anti-establishment party.

    Parent
    The Art Party, baby (none / 0) (#9)
    by Dadler on Wed Feb 09, 2011 at 11:04:23 AM EST
    T.A.P.

    Tap into the future.  

    Parent

    It wasn't the Tea Party (none / 0) (#8)
    by Farmboy on Wed Feb 09, 2011 at 10:18:43 AM EST
    According to Steve Benen, of "the 52 members of the House Tea Party Caucus, 44 of them voted to reauthorize the Patriot Act."

    This doesn't surprise me a bit. Like most on the right, Tea Partiers love the idea of knowing what folks do in their private lives. Instead, the reauthorization failed because the GOP needed a 2/3 vote rather than a simple majority.

    It will be back under different rules, and it will pass.

    Parent

    Thanks for the clarification (none / 0) (#10)
    by ruffian on Wed Feb 09, 2011 at 11:55:10 AM EST
    Seemed to be giving the TP a lot more credit for consistency than I have seen evidenced up to this point.  

    I'm sure it will come back and pass...it will be a very sad day for me anyway when it gets through a Dem Senate and POTUS. My last illusions dashed.

    Parent