] The most common charge levied against critics of the
] Patriot Act -- one that Alberto Gonzales, the new face of
] Justice, is likely to repeat in his days ahead -- is that
] they're "misinformed." Well, as a former U.S. attorney
] appointed by President Reagan, a former CIA lawyer and
] analyst, and a former Congressman who sat on the
] Judiciary Committee, I can go mano a mano with any
] law-enforcement or intelligence official on the facts.
] And the facts say that the Patriot Act needs to be
] reviewed and refined by Congress.

The most reasonable position on the Patriot act that I have ever read.

] Reasonable critics of the expansive provisions of the
] Patriot Act, on both sides of the aisle and in both
] Houses, have introduced legislation that would implement
] these modest changes. Far from gutting the Act, these
] would secure the important powers of the law, but place
] modest limits on their use. For most of us who voted for
] the Act, what sealed the deal was the inclusion of
] provisions that would require us to take a sober second
] look at the most contentious provisions in the Act by the
] end of 2005, before reauthorizing them. That time is
] coming, and the Justice Department does not want to lose
] the emergency powers it won in the aftermath of 9/11. But
] Congress should resist its overtures, move forward on the
] sunsets, and enact additional Patriot fixes if it
] believes them needed.

] The most common charge levied against critics of the
] Patriot Act -- one that Alberto Gonzales, the new face of
] Justice, is likely to repeat in his days ahead -- is that
] they're "misinformed." Well, as a former U.S. attorney
] appointed by President Reagan, a former CIA lawyer and
] analyst, and a former Congressman who sat on the
] Judiciary Committee, I can go mano a mano with any
] law-enforcement or intelligence official on the facts.
] And the facts say that the Patriot Act needs to be
] reviewed and refined by Congress.

The most reasonable position on the Patriot act that I have ever read.

[ This is one of Bob Barr's strongest positions, and I tend to agree with him, as unexpected as I found that. He's written on the topic before and spoken about it at GA Tech, and I think he's generally got a clear view of what needs to happen on this one. -k]