NYT 1, Administration 0

I thought the timing was fishy. The AP reports:

The Senate on Friday refused to reauthorize major portions of the USA Patriot Act after critics complained they infringed too much on Americans' privacy and liberty, dealing a huge defeat to the Bush administration and Republican leaders.

...

But the Patriot Act's critics got a boost from a New York Times report saying Bush authorized the National Security Agency to monitor the international phone calls and international e-mails of hundreds — perhaps thousands — of people inside the United States. Previously, the NSA typically limited its domestic surveillance to foreign embassies and missions and obtained court orders for such investigations.

"I don't want to hear again from the attorney general or anyone on this floor that this government has shown it can be trusted to use the power we give it with restraint and care," said Feingold, the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act in 2001.

The renewal of the Patriot Act failed because the Republicans could not obtain the 60 votes necessary to defeat Sen. Feingold's filibuster. The final vote was 52-47 in favor of closing debate.

The WaPo has more, including quotes from various Senators regarding this morning's articles in the NYT and the Post:

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called the domestic spying "clearly and categorically wrong" and vowed to hold oversight hearings on the matter when the Senate reconvenes early next year after its holiday recess.

"This administration feels it is above the law, and the American people and the Constitution pay the price," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.). "There is no accountability. There is no oversight. . . . This is Big Brother run amok."

"Mr. President, it is time to have checks and balances in this country," thundered Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), the Senate Judiciary Committee's top Democrat. "We are a democracy!"

A final bit of insult-to-injury gloating from the ACLU:

"Today, fair-minded senators stood firm in their commitment to the Constitution and rejected the White House's call to pass a faulty law," said Caroline Fredrickson, the director of the
American Civil Liberties Union' 's Washington legislative office. "This was a victory for the privacy and liberty of all Americans."

Don't you just hate it when that happens?

The administration has some room to manuever before the law expires at years end. The House passed a compromise extension to the Patriot Act this past Wednesday; it's possible an extension to the current law or a conference committee compromise on the House version may be enabled.