And there is nary a democratic murmur. I'll be perfectly clear about this: This is an opinion piece. I'm going to state something as fact you may or may not agree with.
If the Democratic Party cannot get it's act into gear, form a strong block, and draw bipartisan support, in opposition tot he renewal of the PATRIOT Act... Then not only is the Democratic Party neutered, but the republic is dead.
This is the one issue that, after 2004, will draw votes from the Republican Party. Fiscal responsibility, sensible foreign policy, veteran candidate, ecology, bread-and-butter issues... Obviously none of that will ever draw Republican voters. The only thing that will is issues that the Republican Party party has abandoned. Namely Constitutional Rights. It's there for the taking. It's there for the losing. Get your act together, Dean, we all heard your "it's the leadership not the legislation" tripe about PATRIOT during the debates. Wrong. It's the legislation. Which exists because of a lack of leadership.