Reply #199: So, if this was first reported on over TWO MONTHS ago, I guess the "quietly" part of the headline

[Number23]

is a bit misleading, huh??

Money quote from the article you posted:

"Michelle Richardson of the American Civil Liberties Union called the administration's position "a mixed bag," and said that the group hopes the next version of the Patriot Act will have important safeguards on other issues, particularly the collecting of international communications, and a specific bar on surveillance of activities protected by the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment such as peaceful protests or religious assembly.

"We're heartened they're saying they're willing to work with Congress," Richardson said, adding that is "definitely a sea change from what we've seen in the past."

Even the ACLU doesn't think of this as "Bush-lite" as so many on DU seem to. I'm not happy with ANY extension or expansion of the Patriot Act, but any "Democratic" web site brimming with Freeper vernacular i.e. calling Obama a "lying con man" is full of idiots as far as I'm concerned.