Not so fast.
Six senators--three Republicans and three Democrats--are threatening to filibuster the tentative agreement reached late Wednesday night between the House and Senate for an extension of the Patriot Act that has disappointed the many people who wanted more protection of civil rights and liberties.
The six senators are supported by an unusual coalition that includes librarians, booksellers, defense lawyers and business groups (the last are concerned about the costs of complying with increasing government demands for records).
One of the six, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska), said, "We have worked too long and too hard to allow this conference report to eliminate the modest protections for civil liberties that were agreed to unanimously in the Senate."
Six senators--three Republicans and three Democrats--are threatening to filibuster the tentative agreement reached late Wednesday night between the House and Senate for an extension of the Patriot Act that has disappointed the many people who wanted more protection of civil rights and liberties.
The six senators are supported by an unusual coalition that includes librarians, booksellers, defense lawyers and business groups (the last are concerned about the costs of complying with increasing government demands for records).
One of the six, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska), said, "We have worked too long and too hard to allow this conference report to eliminate the modest protections for civil liberties that were agreed to unanimously in the Senate."