The House GOP lost a significant vote today that would have extended three provisions of the Patriot Act. It was apparently a miscalculation of their support, and 26 Republicans voted with the Democrats in a bipartisan defeat of measures that critics see as an infringement on civil rights.
Republicans brought up the vote under a special expedited provision that requires a 2/3 vote, thinking they had it. They didn't.
The three measures which would have been extended, but now will presumably expire unless approved by Feb 28th, are: (1) court-approved, roving wire-taps on multiple phones; (2) court-approved access to "any tangible thing," like library records, that might be relevant to terrorism investigations; and (3) secret surveillance of non-US citizens not known to be associated with a specific terrorism organization.
Beyond the importance of that many Republicans supporting civil rights over "Patriotism" hysteria, this also signals a failure of GOP nose-counting and discipline in the House. Or, rather, it may reflect the libertarian streak of some of the new Tea Party crowd.
At any rate, it seems like a win politically for the Democrats.
Ralph
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