Patriot Act Still Held Up

And as long as Craig, Hagel, Murkowski and Sununu, four member of the GOP, stand their ground there is a chance a better bill can be produced.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Four Republican members of the U.S. Senate have joined the bulk of the Democratic caucus in stopping votes making the USA Patriot Act permanent.

While the Republican Party leadership has been pointing to Democrats seeking extra time to discuss reauthorization of the act, it is the Republican holdouts who have control over the measure.

Those senators, The Washington Post points out, cannot be pigeonholed: Larry Craig is a strong conservative from Idaho, and Chuck Hagel is a Nebraskan thought to have his sights set on the presidency while Alaska's Lisa Murkowski and New Hampshire's John Sununu come from families that have long served their states.

In light of the recently exposed cases of our own government spying on American citizens, it is clear that this much power leads to abuse. Let this deeply flawed law die, and develop a better one.


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Patriot Act