Administration arm-twisting saves patriot provision.

On July 8, the House of Representatives considered an amendment authored by Representative Bernie Sanders (Independent-Vt.), and co-sponsored by Reps. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and Butch Otter (R-Idaho), eliminating Section 215 of the Patriot Act. That provision, noted Rep. Paul, tramples on the Fourth Amendment by allowing the FBI access to "books, [private] records, papers, documents and other items" when allowed to do so by a secret anti-terrorism court. (The court in question has never turned down such a request.)

When time for the roll call vote expired, the amendment had won by a 219-201 margin. The House GOP leadership, perhaps inspired by the Gore campaign's manic improvisation in the Florida recount imbroglio, simply refused to gavel the vote to a close, keeping the vote open for an additional 23 minutes--more than double the allotted time--while pressuring Republican representatives to change their vote. Eventually, nine GOP House members relented, sending the measure to defeat via a 210-210 tie.

"The White House had gone to special lengths to lobby against Sanders' amendment, announcing that Bush would veto any bill containing it," recalled the San Francisco Chronicle. "The Justice Department also sent a letter to House leaders saying that as recently as last winter and spring, FBI surveillance found a member of what was described as an al Qaeda affiliate group using a public library to e-mail his colleagues"--although the administration, true to established form, declined to provide specifics to document that remarkable claim.

"You win some, and some get stolen," commented Rep. Otter in the aftermath of the vote. This is not the first time the administration and its congressional lackeys have gone "extra innings" to pressure conservative representatives into submitting to the will of the White House: Last October, House leaders kept a roll call vote open for more than three hours in order to browbeat congressmen into approving Mr. Bush's budget-busting expansion of the socialist Medicare program.

In fairness it should be admitted that Democrats have pulled similar corrupt tricks. In 1987, a congressman noted for a conservative voting record denounced the Democratic House leadership for holding open a roll call, describing it as "the most heavy-handed, arrogant abuse of power in the 10 years I've been there." Thus spoke Wyoming congressman Dick Cheney, the current vice president.