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Senate rejects bush on patriot act Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=a6AM.xbk.1sI&refer=top_world_newshttp://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=a6AM.xbk.1sI&refer=top_world_news
U.S. Senate Rejects Bush Plea to Advance Patriot Act (Update1)
Dec. 16 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Senate, rejecting pleas from its Republican leaders and President George W. Bush, refused to end debate on legislation to renew the anti-terror USA Patriot Act.
The Senate fell seven votes short of shutting off a filibuster that threatens to block an extension of much of the law, including expanded power for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Bush has called for approval of the measure, saying it is vital in the war against terrorism.
The vote was the second legislative setback for Bush in as many days. Yesterday, Bush reversed course and accepted a ban on torture crafted by Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican.
Today's development left the immediate future of the Patriot Act in doubt. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist insisted he wasn't giving up and repeated his opposition to a three-month extension of the act.
``The debate will continue on this very important bill,'' he said. ``We will not see a short-term extension.''
Democratic leaders and some Republicans led the drive to sustain a filibuster, a parliamentary maneuver that allows endless debate. Republicans control the Senate by a 55-45 margin, and it takes 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.
The official vote on the filibuster-ending motion was 52-47. Frist had cast the 53rd vote in favor of ending debate, but switched sides at the end to preserve his options under Senate rules for calling for another vote.
House-Passed Version
Democratic leader Harry Reid said a House-passed version of the measure, a compromise worked out by Republican congressional leaders, doesn't provide enough judicial oversight of the FBI. Shutting off the filibuster would have put the measure in position for Senate passage.
``The United States Senate should work harder to achieve a strong bipartisan agreement on the Patriot Act,'' Reid, a Nevada lawmaker, said. The legislation ``does not contain enough checks on the expanded power of government.''
``The Patriot Act expires on Dec. 31, but the terrorist threat does not,'' Frist said. ``We have a clear choice: Do we advance against terrorism to make America safer or do we retreat to the days before Sept. 11 when terrorists slipped through the cracks.''
Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold said it was `shameful to suggest'' that lawmakers seeking changes in the bill want the Patriot Act to expire. ``That would only happen if the proponents block alternative reauthorization that can easily pass,'' he said. ``Now is not the time for brinksmanship or threats.''
The Next Step
Republicans must now decide on the next step to prevent key provisions of the law from expiring at year's end. Lawmakers are planning to wrap up business this week and adjourn for the year.
Reid supports a plan introduced by a bipartisan group on Dec. 12 to extend the current Patriot Act for three months. Scott McClellan, a White House spokesman, said this morning that Bush wouldn't sign such an extension.
``The time for Democrats to stop standing in the way has come,'' he said. ``The president calls on the leaders of both parties to stop putting the safety of the American people above politics.''
The House passed the legislation on Dec. 14 by a vote of 251-174.
Unchallenged Authority
Opponents of the measure say it gives the FBI unchallenged authority to request business, library or medical records for counterterrorism investigations. They are also seeking more judicial review of so-called national security letters, which the FBI can issue to request records.
Fourteen provisions in the original 2001 legislation that are due to expire at year's end would become permanent in the proposed renewal of the law.
New York Democrat Charles Schumer, who had said he had been leaning toward opposing the filibuster, said a New York Times report that the National Security Agency had eavesdropped on Americans' telephone calls without warrants since the Sept. 11 terror attacks changed his mind.
``Today's revelation that the government listened to thousands of conversations is shocking and greatly influenced my vote,'' Schumer said.
Last Updated: December 16, 2005 12:51 EST
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