Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) was the lone dissenting vote in the U.S. Senate when the Patriot Act was rushed through Congress after September 11. This month, he led the campaign to prevent the Act’s renewal. He pledged to filibuster, and today, he won.
Just prior to the vote, Feingold addressed his fellow senators, keying off this morning’s New York Times report on the Bush administration’s extensive (and potentially illegal) domestic wiretapping practices:
I don’t want to hear again from the Attorney General or anyone on this floor that this government has shown it can be trusted to use the power we give it with restraint and care. This shocking revelation ought to send a chill down the spine of every Senator and every American.
Watch it:
Full transcript below: Read more
