President Clinton urged Congress Tuesday to act swiftly in developing anti-terrorism legislation before its August recess.

But while the president pushed for quick legislation, Republican lawmakers hardened their stance against some of the proposed anti-terrorism measures.

Some left bloggers are posting this story around in the wake of the ABC docudrama drama in an attempt to document the left's anti-terror credentials. I remember this. Of course, what I draw from it is slightly different: That neither party actually gives a damn about civil liberties. Its just a role played by whoever the opposition party happens to be, to leverage the fears of anyone who doesn't like the present administration. If anything, Democrats have undermined serious arguements about the Patriot act by turning it into an oversimplified left/right issue, which results in a reflex reaction from the right and kills any possibility of dialog. Republicans assume that people raising questions about it are just partisans who don't understand what they are talking about, and they are usually right. Republicans also assume there is no problem with it and everything is cool. Most Republicans don't know what they are talking about either.