CSPAN 2 is now showing the Patriot Act Debate. Debate is going from 10:35-11:35 and will be followed immediately by a cloture vote.
http://play.rbn.com/...
The AP has reported that Feingold has enough votes to stop cloture.
My current List:
Against Cloture:
Cantwell, Craig, Dodd, Durbin, Feingold, Feinstein, Hagel, Jeffords, Kennedy, Kerry, Leahy, Levin, Murkowski, Obama, Reid (NV), Rockefeller, Salazar, Sununu, Stabenow, Wyden,
For Cloture:
Brownback, Chambliss, Cornyn, Domenici, Frist, Hatch, Hutchison, Kyl, Martinez, Santorum, Sessions, Spector, Talent, Thune
10:35 Spector speaking - don't listen to newspaper editorials, don't act on what the Washington Post says, come up here and i'll explain why this is a good bill, "nobody has a stronger record in this body than i do " on civil liberties
Section 215 - actually increases civil liberties by introducing judicial review
Delayed notice - 30 days is a great compromise
clarification: he said not to listen to editorials, AND said that the Washington Post is wrong about 30000 national security letters issued yearly and that Senators should look at the classified report for the right info on that
Frist refuses to consider 3 month extension, Bush refuses to sign extension.. choice is conference or nothing (I'm for no Patriot Act personally)
11:00 Leahy talking - bipartisan way is best, terrorism is real but threat to civil liberties is also real. I do read the papers, NY Times - secret order by Bush to spy on phone calls and e-mails of Americans with no court approval (LEAHY is on fire, yelling) yelling that we need checks and balances "we are a democracy, let's have checks and balances, not secret orders in secret courts and secret torture" Our goal is to mend the patiot act not end it
brief interjection by Reid and Lott for 4 minutes for business
11:09 Larry Craig (R) talks against cloture. "I can not nor will I vote for cloture today." We will not adjourn this session of congress without patriot act in place - whether 3 month extension offered or new limited compromise. Need balance. I urge calm and sensitivity to fundamental civil liberties of our country.
11:12 Kennedy - no cloture - Bush/NSA spying on Americans - they say trust us we follow the law. "give me a break" - admin feels it is above the law and american people + constitution pay the price
11:15 Spector again - press reports on spying are WRONG, clearly and categorically WRONG.. fine print says Bush stopped elements of the program and revamp it in 2004. .powers go beyond patriot act..
11;18 Sununu (R) also against cloture. .not last minute effort.. concerns we have . have been around since 2001 to make modifications to protect civil liberties and not undermine law enforcement
notice the bipartisan opposition to the act and only Spector willing to stand up for it, still hoping Russ will speak but they seem to be highlighting Republicans opposed to cloture
11:22 Levin speaking now in opposition to Patriot Act - focus on sectioon 215 - Library Provision
11:26 RUSS speaking :-) summarizing oppostion to act. this is not a partisan issue, this is an american issue, we can come together
11:29 Salazar speaking. i was a former attorney general. cognizant of protecting law enforcement.. Bipartisan SAFE Act resolved problems
11:33 Spector again clearing up misstatments by opposition
11:36 Kyl R speaking (in favor of cloture) no more compromises to be made no more extensions of time. bill is what it is.. if 90% of dems vote no cloture and 90% repubs vote cloture that is partisan. but it shouldnt be. this bill is 80% senate contibutoins 20% house contributions. . need to reauthorize act. not in a partisan manner - vote against patriot act is vote to let act expire, no extension
11:39 Spector Kyl back and forth about not letting act expire.. will put up wall between intelligence agencies again. patriot act could have prevent part or all of 9/11
11:43 Leahy. if you want to make this partisan, lets talk about Bush admin ignoring warnings about possible terrorist attack, but no we rallied around administration although they ahd info which might have stopped attack
Schumer up - i was unsure last night of vote. improvement over present law and house bill, closer to senate bill than many give credit, but real doubts about formula distributing aid.. but today's revelation about gov't listening in to thousands of phone conversations. .- need safeguards on government - looks like it is a NO . it would be a derilection of duty as commander in chief if president vetoed 3 month extension.
Leahy - wall never existed in first place, can't come back up
Durbin up (Go Illinois :) ) 4 year sunset was put in because we feared that we had moved too fast.
CLOTURE VOTE NOW
(my stream keeps cutting in and out sorry)
NO - feingold, lieberman, conrad, dorgan, biden CLINTON, hagel, mikulski, dayton, jeffords,, salazar, boxer, reid (RI), lincoln, landrieu , harkin, nelson (FL)
YES-
Nelson (ne), cochran, lugar, mccain , crapo, allard, coleman, bond, santorum, thune, brownback, ensign, stevens,inhoff
IT FAILED 53/47
