That statement also drew applause, but from different quarters.

The LA Times educates Hollywood on civil liberties while calling on Congress to support judicial oversight of the FBI's powers.

] Congress is considering a good bipartisan compromise
] known as the SAFE Act (short for Safety and Freedom
] Ensured) that was introduced last fall by Sens. Richard
] Durbin (D-Ill.) and Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho). The
] measure, S1709, would add judicial oversight to rein in
] the FBI's overly free hand.
]
] The bill also extends the Patriot Act's sunset
] provisions, for example requiring periodic
] reconsideration of circumstances in which agents can read
] someone's e-mail or peruse their credit card purchases.
]
] In a letter last week, Ashcroft preposterously asserted
] that the SAFE Act would "make it more difficult" to stop
] terrorists "than before the Patriot Act," and said he'd
] recommend that Bush veto it. Lawmakers should ignore this
] bluster as they take modest steps to protect civil
] liberties while continuing to fight terror.

Ashcroft appears to be seriously opposed to even a moderate approach to the Patriot Act.