Opponents try to block renewal of Patriot Act

A bipartisan group of senators has submitted an alternative bill.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Opponents of a compromise to renew the Patriot Act launched last-minute efforts to block it Monday, saying Congress needs time to include more protections for civil liberties. But the chief Senate negotiator said more talking won't change the deal.
"For those who want to reargue it and re-litigate it and reconsider it, it's not going to get any better," said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa.
Still, complaints rolled in from civil liberties groups and more than 10 senators of both parties as the House and Senate prepared for up-or-down votes this week on whether to renew the provisions that are set to expire Dec. 31.
A bipartisan group of senators introduced an alternative bill Monday that would extend the current law rather than renew the provisions under an agreement that they say does too little to protect Americans from government intrusion.
"The American people have every reason to expect Congress to achieve the right balance in defending their rights while advancing their security, but the Republican-backed conference report fails to do that," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the Judiciary Committee's ranking Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill the group introduced Monday.
Enough votes?
That bill was not expected to go any further, and it was unclear if other efforts to block or defeat a House-Senate bill to renew the expiring Patriot Act had enough votes to succeed. Still, others launched objections.
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