A bill proposed by a bi-partisan group of democrats and conservative Republicans, which would have revised portions of the Patriot Act was shot down last night by a vote of 210 to 210. This is after GOP leaders kept the vote open for 38 minutes (the normal limit is 15 minutes), using the extra 23 to convince members of their own party to switch their vote, perhaps fearing the President Bush would follow through on his promised veto the bill. So, for now, the federal government can keep an eye on our reading habits at libraries and book stores. As Representative C.L. Butch Otter (R – Idaho) states so eloquently “You win some, and some get stolen”.
Party loyalty stomped the possibility of doing the right thing. Again.