Obama signs Patriot Act extension
Minutes before a midnight deadline, President Barack Obama signed into law a four-year extension of post-Sept. 11 powers to search records and conduct roving wiretaps in pursuit of terrorists.
"It's an important tool for us to continue dealing with an ongoing terrorist threat," Obama said this morning after a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
With Obama in France, the White House said the president used an autopen machine that holds a pen and signs his actual signature. It is only used with proper authorization of the president.
The law, enacted after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, has drawn criticism from the right and the left over what's viewed abuses of privacy laws.
During the debate, two members of Obama's party expressed misgivings over some of the provisions.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said he voted for the act when he was a House member in 2001 "while ground zero was still burning." But "I soon realized it gave too much power to government without enough judicial and congressional oversight."
Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said the provision on collecting business records can expose law-abiding citizens to government scrutiny. "If we cannot limit investigations to terrorism or other nefarious activities, where do they end?" he asked.
More on this Patriot Act and the consequences of its extension can be found at MSNBC.
"It's an important tool for us to continue dealing with an ongoing terrorist threat," Obama said this morning after a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.With Obama in France, the White House said the president used an autopen machine that holds a pen and signs his actual signature. It is only used with proper authorization of the president.
The law, enacted after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, has drawn criticism from the right and the left over what's viewed abuses of privacy laws.
During the debate, two members of Obama's party expressed misgivings over some of the provisions.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said he voted for the act when he was a House member in 2001 "while ground zero was still burning." But "I soon realized it gave too much power to government without enough judicial and congressional oversight."
Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said the provision on collecting business records can expose law-abiding citizens to government scrutiny. "If we cannot limit investigations to terrorism or other nefarious activities, where do they end?" he asked.
More on this Patriot Act and the consequences of its extension can be found at MSNBC.
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