Democrats must show resolve against terrorism

The U.S. House of Representatives has wisely decided to renew the Patriot Act. The most controversial provisions were the roving wiretaps and the ability to obtain library records. Civil libertarians worry that the Patriot Act will erode basic freedoms, however, that is a specious argument. The Patriot Act simply gives our intelligence and law enforcement agencies the power to combat terrorism in an era of changing technology.

In an editorial today, The Boston Herald http://www.BostonHerald.com explained the need for the Patriot Act provisions. "Now the roving wiretaps provision - long available in criminal investigations - will continue to allow the government to seek warrants to intercept phone or Internet communications without the warrant being limited to a specific phone or location. Somehow we fail to see how bringing federal wiretap law into the 21st century is threatening to civil liberities, and a majority of the House agreed. Likewise the so-called library provisions - which require a judge's approval - are hardly a grave intrusion on the freedoms of ordinary Americans. Both provisions have proven useful in allowing counter-terrorism units to successfully do their jobs and crack terror cells before they can do any damage."
Thanks to the Boston Herald for bringing some common sense to the discussion of terrorism and the Patriot Act.

If we are ever to become the majority party again, Democrats need to make it clear that we have the resolve to fight terrorism. Putting the ACLU in charge of the war on terror just won't do it. I am certainly no fan of the Bush administration and think that our intervention in Iraq is a misguided distraction to the real war on terror that needs to be waged, but it is the height of irresponsiblity for some Congressional Democrats to oppose giving our law enforcement authorities to the tools to do their job to prevent further terrorist attacks.