Saturday, June 11, 2005
I hear some people are concerned about aspects of the Patriot Act, but given a chance to call witnesses to make substantive arguments about whatever problems there are with it, Democrats took the opportunity to invite people to rant about Guantanamo Bay and the evils of the Bush Administration. This included representatives of "the Gulag of our times" Amnesty International, and James J. Zogby of the Arab American Institute. The committee chair, James Sensenbrenner, after repeated attempts to get the witnesses to stick to the subject, finally gaveled the meeting to an early close ("showing his pique" as the Washington Post puts it).
WaPo: Panel Chairman Leaves Hearing - Sensenbrenner Ends Patriot Act Meeting as Democrats Plug On
The hearing's announced topic was the USA Patriot Act, which granted broad new powers to federal law enforcement after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The Republicans had presented several witnesses at earlier hearings who supported the administration's call for reauthorizing the legislation. But yesterday, when four witnesses handpicked by the Democrats launched into a broad denunciations of President Bush's war on terrorism and the condition of detainees at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) showed his pique.
He urged witnesses to "wrap it up" and repeatedly told committee members that their time for questioning had expired.
"We ought to stick to the subject," the chairman scolded at the end. "The Patriot Act has nothing to do with Guantanamo Bay. The Patriot Act has nothing to do with enemy combatants. The Patriot Act has nothing to do with indefinite detentions."
"Will the gentleman yield?" Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) asked.
"No, I will not yield," replied Sensenbrenner, 61, the heir to a paper fortune who is known for a brusque insistence on decorum. He completed his reproof of the witnesses and left the Rayburn House Office Building hearing room amid a cacophony of protests from Democrats seeking to be recognized...
Is there no serious opposition left in Washington? Has the Democratic Party finally drowned itself in the Michael Moore school of government? The Patriot Act is a serious matter. What to do with enemy combatants is a serious matter. Where are the rational alternatives? Where is the serious discussion ? I understand that electoral politics and posturing infect everything in Washington, and conflating the Patriot Act and Gitmo is becoming a favorite demagogic sport, but there must be limits somewhere. It's sad the limits can't be found before the gavel needs to fall. Kudos to Mr. Sensenbrenner for trying to keep things on track. For this he will be vilified.
