Democrats were all over this when Bush signed it. This is the same Patriot Act that the big evil monsters put together right? How many times have we seen Obama be against something and then surprises us?
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama has signed a one-year extension of several provisions in the nation's main counterterrorism law, the Patriot Act.
Provisions in the measure would have expired on Sunday without Obama's signature Saturday.
The act, which was adopted in the weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, expands the government's ability to monitor Americans in the name of national security.
Three sections of the Patriot Act that stay in force will:
_Authorize court-approved roving wiretaps that permit surveillance on multiple phones.
_Allow court-approved seizure of records and property in anti-terrorism operations.
_Permit surveillance against a so-called lone wolf, a non-U.S. citizen engaged in terrorism who may not be part of a recognized terrorist group.
Obama's signature comes after the House voted 315 to 97 Thursday to extend the measure.
The Senate also approved the measure, with privacy protections cast aside when Senate Democrats lacked the necessary 60-vote supermajority to pass them. Thrown away were restrictions and greater scrutiny on the government's authority to spy on Americans and seize their records.
Posted by glassman on :
it was Libertarians who were all over it...
the first votes had plenty of Democrat support: # Passed the House on October 24, 2001 (Yeas: 357; Nays: 66) # Passed the Senate on October 25, 2001 (Yeas: 98; Nays: 1)
and no they had no time to read it, it was thousands of pages long and was debated for about two weeks.
a few ammendments were made to the original bill, now there's so many ammendments that it's hardly the same bill that was first introduced.
it's just another example of how the political parties tend to be less different than they want us to think.