The Struggle Against the Patriot Act
Last week, the Senate floor was witness to a strategic, parliamentary procedure battle between Harry Reid and Rand Paul. This was as good of a political drama as it gets — think of it as the political equivalent of a UFC title match.
Before it was over, Campaign for Liberty’s power and Senator Paul’s determination to stand up for what he believes in were on display for all to see. Senator Paul achieved something that even Senator Leahy — a thirty-year veteran of the Senate and Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee — could not; he received roll call votes and limited debate on two critical amendments before allowing a vote on final passage.
A lot of the back-and-forth happened very quickly, so we’ve put together a timeline of events from early February, when the House and Senate tried to sneak through an 11-month extension of the “Patriot” Act.