GDam it Reid! He's calling for the Patriot act to be extended!

PATRIOT UPDATE

By Russ Feingold

We've just had a tremendous bipartisan victory on the Senate floor. We were able to hold off a cloture motion that would have put a time limit on debate, and for all practical purposes would have led to the eventual enactment of a deeply flawed reauthorization of the PATRIOT Act without the reforms we need. (Here is a statement I gave just prior to that vote.) There is no doubt that the reaction from citizens like you on this issue helped convince a number of Members to vote with us.


The Administration has argued that opposing the conference report would put the American people at risk. Yet, according to Senator Frist and Senator Specter, the President would rather let the law expire than support the unanimously passed Senate-passed bill or a short extension to let negotiations continue. I can't imagine anything more irresponsible than compromising the safety of the American people to score political points.

And actually, Reid and Feingold are playing very nicely here. They put the blame and the irresponsibility on Bush and Frist if they dont vote the extension. Good play.