Yay for Sen. Sununu!

[Eli]

Crossing party lines to see that the Patriot act sunsets.  Points for him in my book.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051221/pl_nm/security_patriot_dc

[Kat Kanning]

Spoke too soon....the bastard.

Senate Passes Patriot Act Extension

By JESSE J. HOLLAND, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 52 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The terror-fighting USA Patriot Act may have a new lease on life. The GOP-controlled Senate on Wednesday approved a six-month extension of the USA Patriot Act to keep the anti-terror law from expiring on Dec. 31.
President Bush gave it his grudging blessing.
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The Republican-controlled House is now expected to come back and consider the legislation keeping the 16 provisions of the law passed after the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington from expiring.

Republican leaders and Bush wanted to make most of the law permanent, but were stymied by a filibuster in the Senate and had to resort to a six-month extension.

"This will allow more time to finally agree on a bill that protects our rights and freedoms while preserving important tools for fighting terrorism," said Sen. Russ Feingold (news, bio, voting record), D-Wis., who was the only senator to vote against the original Patriot Act in 2001.

House and Senate negotiators had agreed to compromise legislation that would have made most of the anti-terrorism law permanent and added additional safeguards to the law. But Senate Democrats and a small group of GOP senators blocked the legislation, arguing that the compromise needed more safeguards in it to protect Americans' civil liberties.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said he had no choice but to accept a six-month extension in the face of a successful filibuster and the Patriot Act's Dec. 31 expiration date. "I'm not going to let the Patriot Act die," Frist said.

Bush indicated that he would sign the extension. "The work of Congress on the Patriot Act is not finished," Bush said. "The act will expire next summer, but the terrorist threat to America will not expire on that schedule. I look forward to continuing to work with Congress to reauthorize the Patriot Act."

Frist said he had not consulted with House Speaker
Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., yet on the six-month extension. Senior Republicans there have opposed any temporary extension of the current law, insisting that most of the expiring provisions should be renewed permanently, but it would be difficult for the House to reject a plan agreed to by the Senate and President Bush.

The six-month "extension ensures that the tools provided to law enforcement in terrorist investigations in the Patriot Act remain in effect while Congress works out the few differences that remain," said Sen. John Sununu (news, bio, voting record), R-N.H., one of a small group of Republicans who crossed party lines to block the Patriot Act legislation.

Republicans who had pushed for legislation that would make most of the expiring provisions permanent said the agreement only postpones the ongoing arguments over the Patriot Act for six months. "We'll be right back where we are right now," said a clearly frustrated Sen. Orrin Hatch (news, bio, voting record), R-Utah.

Sen. John Cornyn (news, bio, voting record), R-Texas, added, "Our intelligence and law enforcement officials should not be left wondering, yet again, whether the Congress will manage to agree to reauthorize the tools that protect our nation."

Most of the Patriot Act ? which expanded the government's surveillance and prosecutorial powers against suspected terrorists, their associates and financiers ? was made permanent when Congress overwhelmingly passed it after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington.

Making permanent the rest of the Patriot Act powers, like the roving wiretaps which allow investigators to listen in on any telephone and tap any computer they think a target might use, has been a priority of the Bush administration and Republican lawmakers.

If Congress fails to renew 16 expiring provisions of the USA Patriot Act by Dec. 31, America will be less safe, Gonzales and
Homeland Security Secretary
Michael Chertoff warned. Chertoff said every morning he reviews threat information against the United States and lies awake at night worrying about "what's coming next."

"The threat is still very much alive," Chertoff said, referring to terror groups that want to strike the United States.

[Eli]

Son of a bitch.  I really wanted to be able to applaud him, too.  But...

The six-month "extension ensures that the tools provided to law enforcement in terrorist investigations in the Patriot Act remain in effect while Congress works out the few differences that remain," said Sen. John Sununu (news, bio, voting record), R-N.H., one of a small group of Republicans who crossed party lines to block the Patriot Act legislation.

I should have fucking known.  But sometimes I am tricked into believeing that there are people in congress who cherish liberty.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051222/ap_on_go_co/patriot_act

[Dreepa]

and check out this LTE in today's CM
http://concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051222/REPOSITORY/512220353/1029/OPINION03

I mean KGB did spy on citizens.  So did NSA.  Comparison is fair in my book.

[Eli]

Mr. Schmidt needs some education.

Congresses oath of office:

I, Loyal Citizen of the Republic, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

Someone in NH should send a response to the LTE section about the racist, uneducated, proto-facist, torture endorsing Mr. Schmidt.

[KBCraig]

I'm unclear on how Sununu voted on this midnight version.

Strange bedfellows and all... many of those voting against the temporary extension did so because they want it to be permanent. What a world. 

[Eli]

It's not the vote that matters.  It's that he thinks, 'Almost everything is worked out.'  Not for us.  Worked out for most of us would be sunsetted, not modified.

[Caleb]

Here's what's going on, from my understanding:

The Senators who want the Patriot Act to die are begging for an "extension".  ??? ??? ???  One of the funniest quotes was from Chuckie "Cheese" Shumer, who said, "To allow the Patriot Act Provisions to die, would be very irresponsible"  ??? ??? ???

If he thinks the provisions are good ... why is he not fighting to make it permanent.  I don't get these dunces.  Of course the provisions stink!  We don't need an extension or a permanent law to keep them going, of course, when the President has already said he plans on spying on Americans contrary to the law, anyway.

Caleb

[CNHT]

Sununu is trying to get Real ID nullified as well as radio flagging.However, the Dems are going to target him next time.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/01/12/new_hampshire_democrats_lining_up_to_defeat_sununu/

Also you need to flood this website with posts about the latest Buckley scandal, since they have a habit of censorship.
They did not want to hear about kiddie porn, mailjamming, sign stealing and voter fraud in our great state of NH.
I figure if a flood of you go there, sign up and post it will hit the net before he knows what hit him even if he deletes your diary as he did to me

He engages in R bashing of course, but won't hear of any D's that have done anything wrong.
He called Benson a 'bad governor' which could not be further from the truth.

The site is called www.swingstateproject.org and it should be targeted for comments about the TRUTH.

Sic 'em!

[Russell Kanning]

Real man of principle


No opinion on troop surge

Sununu speaks with care on war

http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070115/REPOSITORY/701150360

S
en. John Sununu - like his father, former governor John H. Sununu - isn't known for being shy about his opinions. But the Republican senator hasn't said publicly whether he agrees with President Bush's plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq.

Supporters say it's a sign Sununu is mulling the issue and doesn't want to rush to judgment...........................

[Atlas]

What's there to mull over? Support Bush in another one of his disasters or support the American people who've clearly said 'No.'