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February 28, 2006
Byrd regrets Patriot Act vote
The oldest Democrat in the U.S. Senate, West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd, now says he regrets
his vote for the USA Patriot Act in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Byrd's switch indicates an interesting strategic dilemma for many Democrats facing re-election in the 2006 midterm elections. Russell Feingold, the only senator who voted against the Patriot Act the first time around, won re-election in 2004 by a landslide in Wisconsin. But Democrats in traditionally conservative states such as Nebraska, Florida and North Dakota (and moderate Republicans in Maine and Rhode Island) must decide whether they agree with Byrd's assertion that, "In essence, this legislation says that the Bill of Rights is right no more."
Byrd probably faces little to no electoral peril, but some of his colleagues in more politically precarious positions have decisions to make. These decisions may go a long way toward determining which party will control the Senate after 2006. For my money, some of the more interesting statements on Patriot Act renewal and NSA wiretapping are coming from moderate Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska. In this December 2005 press release, Nelson announced support for a three-month extension of the Patriot Act while supporting an investigation of wiretapping.
Posted by Christopher Kriva at February 28, 2006 12:09 PM
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