Reply #25: He voted for a new version of the Patriot Act

[karynnj]

In late 2005, the Democrats and some Republicans filibustered rather than pass the first version of the new Patriot act. What Obama voted for was an improved bill.

This was in 2006 and after a filibuster to insure that some of the worst provisions were removed or fixed. HRC herself voted for it - as she had the original bill that was worse (all Senators but Feingold did). This was a sleazy attempt to make what was a reasonable vote seem a flip flop. Many Senators, including the Presidential nominee, took the position Obama took in 2004 - that the Patriot Act had problems and needed to be changed.

The Democrats had won many improvements in the Patriot Act. They passed this version because the alternative was that the old Patriot Act would stay in place. It was never a possiblity that there would be no Patriot Act. They thought they had gotten as much as they could at that point in time. A few days later, a group of Senators concerned with the new enacted Patriot Act, including Obama but not HRC,, signed onto an amendment that would fix remaining problems and sunset parts of the bill again. The idea was when there was sufficient support - it would be brought to the floor.

Here's the 2006 roll call:
U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 109th Congress - 2nd Session

as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate

Vote Summary

Question: On the Conference Report (H.R. 3199 Conference Report )
Vote Number: 29 Vote Date: March 2, 2006, 03:01 PM
Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Conference Report Agreed to
Measure Number: H.R. 3199
Measure Title: A bill to extend and modify authorities needed to combat terrorism, and for other purposes.
Vote Counts: YEAs 89
NAYs 10
Not Voting 1
Vote Summary By Senator Name By Vote Position By Home State

Alphabetical by Senator Name
Akaka (D-HI), Nay
Alexander (R-TN), Yea

Allard (R-CO), Yea
Allen (R-VA), Yea
Baucus (D-MT), Yea
Bayh (D-IN), Yea
Bennett (R-UT), Yea
Biden (D-DE), Yea
Bingaman (D-NM), Nay
Bond (R-MO), Yea
Boxer (D-CA), Yea
Brownback (R-KS), Yea
Bunning (R-KY), Yea
Burns (R-MT), Yea
Burr (R-NC), Yea
Byrd (D-WV), Nay
Cantwell (D-WA), Yea
Carper (D-DE), Yea
Chafee (R-RI), Yea
Chambliss (R-GA), Yea
Clinton (D-NY), Yea
Coburn (R-OK), Yea
Cochran (R-MS), Yea
Coleman (R-MN), Yea
Collins (R-ME), Yea
Conrad (D-ND), Yea
Cornyn (R-TX), Yea
Craig (R-ID), Yea
Crapo (R-ID), Yea
Dayton (D-MN), Yea
DeMint (R-SC), Yea
DeWine (R-OH), Yea
Dodd (D-CT), Yea
Dole (R-NC), Yea
Domenici (R-NM), Yea
Dorgan (D-ND), Yea
Durbin (D-IL), Yea
Ensign (R-NV), Yea
Enzi (R-WY), Yea
Feingold (D-WI), Nay
Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Frist (R-TN), Yea
Graham (R-SC), Yea
Grassley (R-IA), Yea
Gregg (R-NH), Yea
Hagel (R-NE), Yea
Harkin (D-IA), Nay
Hatch (R-UT), Yea
Hutchison (R-TX), Yea
Inhofe (R-OK), Yea
Inouye (D-HI), Not Voting
Isakson (R-GA), Yea
Jeffords (I-VT), Nay
Johnson (D-SD), Yea
Kennedy (D-MA), Yea
Kerry (D-MA), Yea
Kohl (D-WI), Yea
Kyl (R-AZ), Yea
Landrieu (D-LA), Yea
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea
Leahy (D-VT), Nay
Levin (D-MI), Nay
Lieberman (D-CT), Yea
Lincoln (D-AR), Yea
Lott (R-MS), Yea
Lugar (R-IN), Yea
Martinez (R-FL), Yea
McCain (R-AZ), Yea
McConnell (R-KY), Yea
Menendez (D-NJ), Yea
Mikulski (D-MD), Yea
Murkowski (R-AK), Yea
Murray (D-WA), Nay
Nelson (D-FL), Yea
Nelson (D-NE), Yea
Obama (D-IL), Yea
Pryor (D-AR), Yea
Reed (D-RI), Yea
Reid (D-NV), Yea
Roberts (R-KS), Yea
Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Salazar (D-CO), Yea
Santorum (R-PA), Yea
Sarbanes (D-MD), Yea
Schumer (D-NY), Yea
Sessions (R-AL), Yea
Shelby (R-AL), Yea
Smith (R-OR), Yea
Snowe (R-ME), Yea
Specter (R-PA), Yea
Stabenow (D-MI), Yea
Stevens (R-AK), Yea
Sununu (R-NH), Yea
Talent (R-MO), Yea
Thomas (R-WY), Yea
Thune (R-SD), Yea
Vitter (R-LA), Yea
Voinovich (R-OH), Yea
Warner (R-VA), Yea
Wyden (D-OR), Nay


_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Here is the amendment from the Senate record:

"S.2369
Title: A bill to require a more reasonable period for delayed-notice search warrants, to provide enhanced judicial review of FISA orders and national security letters, to require an enhanced factual basis for a FISA order, and to create national security letter sunset provisions.
Sponsor: Sen Specter, Arlen (introduced 3/6/2006) Cosponsors (13)
Latest Major Action: 3/6/2006 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Jump to: Summary, Major Actions, All Actions, Titles, Cosponsors, Committees, Related Bill Details, Amendments
SUMMARY AS OF:
3/6/2006--Introduced.

Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) reduce from 30 to seven days after the issuance of a warrant the period in which notice must be given to the subject of the warrant that it was issued to search for and seize any property or material that constitutes evidence of a criminal offense; and (2) repeal provisions treating as conclusive the certification of the Attorney General or the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation that certain disclosures of information endanger national security.

Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to: (1) authorize judicial review of nondisclosure orders (orders prohibiting persons from disclosing that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has sought information); (2) repeal the requirement prohibiting judicial review of production or nondisclosure orders until one year after such order.

Requires a production order (an order from the FBI Director to produce any tangible thing, such a book, document, or record) to either: (1) pertain to a foreign power, agent of a foreign power, or an individual in contact with, or known to, a suspected agent of a foreign power; or (2) be relevant to the activities of a suspected agent of a foreign power who is the subject of the authorized investigation.

Amends the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 to sunset, as of December 31, 2009, the national security letter authority provisions added to the federal criminal code, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Right to Financial Privacy Act, and the National Security Act of 1947.
MAJOR ACTIONS:

***NONE***

ALL ACTIONS:

3/6/2006:
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1791-1792)
3/6/2006:
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1792-1793)

TITLE(S): (italics indicate a title for a portion of a bill)

***NONE***

COSPONSORS(13), ALPHABETICAL : (Sort: by date)


Sen Cantwell, Maria - 3/9/2006
Sen Craig, Larry E. - 3/6/2006
Sen Durbin, Richard - 3/6/2006
Sen Feingold, Russell D. - 3/6/2006
Sen Feinstein, Dianne - 3/6/2006
Sen Hagel, Chuck - 3/6/2006
Sen Kerry, John F. - 3/6/2006
Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. - 5/15/2006
Sen Leahy, Patrick J. - 3/6/2006
Sen Murkowski, Lisa - 3/6/2006
Sen Obama, Barack - 3/6/2006
Sen Salazar, Ken - 3/6/2006
Sen Sununu, John E. - 3/6/2006

COMMITTEE(S):

Committee/Subcommittee: Activity:
Senate Judiciary Referral, In Committee

RELATED BILL DETAILS:

***NONE***

AMENDMENT(S):

***NONE*** "