Spying and the Patriot Act

A radio news commentator said today, if the president thinks he can spy on people without permission, then why does he need the Patriot Act?!

Well, even if Bush doesn't need the Patriot Act, he still need some legitimacy because, well, he is the president... fortunately, he got a few nice blows today:

U.S. District Judge James Robertson resigned in protest over the president's domestic spying program.

The Senate also refused to re-authorize some provisions of the soon-to-expire "anti-terror" law because of controversy over some key provisions which many believe are violating civil liberties, causing Bush to continue whining in front of cameras.

Finally, someone is standing up to Bush, including senators. It's really about time. I know that the Patriot Act will be passed again, but this filibuster and serious debate on the issue is really overdue now. The US Congress has been stalling for the past 4 years on various issues, and it has continuously yielded power to the White House on major policy issues including the Iraq War and the Patriot Act, among others. It about time that the "representatives" of the American people actually represent their constituents...but I won't hold my breath on this one.