Notwithstanding the Sturm und Drang, the U.S. Senate always seems happiest when adopting its rightful pose as the more thoughtful, deliberate body of government. The Senate has rarely looked better than late Wednesday, rejecting House efforts to renew the USA Patriot Act without much-needed changes to safeguard individual liberties.
The House, true to its reputation as the more extreme chamber, also tried to push through drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by attaching it – yes, this is literally true – to a defense spending bill. The Senate wisely upended both.
Despite protestations from President Bush and compliant Majority Leader Bill Frist that a short-term extension of the Patriot Act was unacceptable, the Senate agreed to extend it by six months. House leaders, pouting on Thursday, agreed to a five-week extension. If they hadn’t, 16 key provisions would have expired Dec. 31.
Either extension is fine, opening the door for the president and his supporters to reach a compromise with senators who are working to strike a reasonable balance between anti-terrorism efforts and individual liberties. As the act stands now, it gives the government too much power to secretly snoop into the lives of ordinary Americans.
Four profiles in congressional courage emerged this week, belonging to a diverse group of Republicans who opposed the House’s simple-minded reenactment of the Patriot Act without revisions. Larry Craig of Idaho, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and John Sununu of New Hampshire all recognized the dangers to basic liberties if the existing law is allowed to go forward. Ken Salazar of Colorado has pushed the same position for months and Thursday said the Senate’s action showed “we could have a war on terror … and still protect our civil liberties.” We hope Wayne Allard will move to this position when negotiations begin after the holidays and urge the president to accept the revisions embraced last summer by unanimous consent in the Senate. They strike the right balance between protecting the Constitution and making sure law enforcement has the tools it needs in the fight against terrorism.
As for ANWR, we’re not mindlessly opposed to drilling there, but it was laughable for Republicans to attach the drilling provision to a defense bill and then say those who cast “no” votes were jeopardizing national security. Given the rising cost and dwindling supply of global oil reserves, the U.S. is smart to save the reserves in ANWR for a rainy day – and hope it never comes.
