Patriot Act law renewal blocked

Patriot Act law renewal blocked:

Patriot Act debate about civil liberties

By Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Eric Lichtblau, New York Times News Service
LA Daily News

WASHINGTON - The Senate on Friday blocked reauthorization of the broad anti-terrorism bill known as the USA Patriot Act, pushing Congress into a game of brinkmanship with President George W. Bush, who has warned that the nation will be left vulnerable to attack if the measure is not quickly renewed.

With many Democrats and some Republicans saying the bill did not go far enough in protecting civil liberties, the Republican leadership fell short of the 60 votes required to break a filibuster. Now the future of the anti-terror act, which greatly expanded the government's surveillance and investigative powers in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, is in doubt.

The Patriot Act debate, a passionate fight about the balance between national security and personal privacy, became a touchstone for repercussions after the disclosure Thursday night that Bush had secretly authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States to search for terrorist activity.

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