Patrick Leahy in Decision Points, by Pres. George W. Bush

On Homeland Security: 2001: Removed parts of PATRIOT Act that hurt liberties

The PATRIOT Act allowed law enforcement and intelligence personnel to share information. It modernized our counterterrorism capabilities by access to tools like roving wiretaps. It authorized aggressive financial measures to freeze terrorist assets. And it included judicial and congressional oversight to protect civil liberties.

Lawmakers recognized the urgency of the threat and passed the PATRIOT Act 98-1 in the Senate and 357-66 in the House. I signed the bill into law on Oct. 26, 2001.

"We took time to look at it, we took time to read it, and we took time to remove those parts that were unconstitutional and those parts that would have actually hurt liberties of all Americans," Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont said. His Democratic colleague, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, added, "If there is one key word that underscores this bill, it is 'balance.' In the new post-September 11 society that we face, balance is going to be a key word. . Balance and reason have prevailed."

Source: Decision Points, by Pres. George W. Bush, p.161 Nov 9, 2010

The above quotations are from Decision Points, by George W. Bush . Click here for other excerpts from Decision Points, by George W. Bush . Click here for other excerpts by Patrick Leahy. Click here for a profile of Patrick Leahy.
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