Republican Senator: Bush Administration's Stonewalling on Patriot Act is Like "Big Black Hole"
Despite President Bush's rhetorical claim that "the best safeguard against abuse is full disclosure," Republican Senator Arlen Specter compares the lack of candor from the Administration about the Patriot Act to "a big black hole."
Fellow Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says "it's like pulling teeth to get answers" from Attorney General John Ashcroft about whether the Justice Department may be using the Act to justify wrongful handling of Americans detained simply on suspicion of terrorist connections.
In June, an internal Justice Department investigation found "significant problems in the way detainees were handled." The suspects were confined as long as a month without being informed of any charges and then were held an average of 80 additional days while waiting to be formally cleared of suspicion.
Ashcroft's first appearance before the House Judiciary Committee since the passage of the Patriot Act came two days after release of the internal investigation, but he refused to answer questions about it, claiming he "did not have time."
Ashcroft has testified before Congress only three times since the beginning of 2002, compared to at least 12 appearances by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
How long before the USA PATRIOT Act becomes an Orwellian excuse to detain people simply because they do not support the party in power? True, this may seem like a reach, and I hope that it is, but given the proclivity for oppression shown by Ashcroft and his minions, this should give all of us pause.
