Ashcroft Invites War Over Freedom Versus Security

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft delivered a clarion defense of the Patriot Act Tuesday, calling the embattled law instrumental in fighting terrorism.

"While our job is not finished, we have used the tools provided in the Patriot Act to fulfill our first responsibility to protect the American people," Ashcroft said in a speech that kicked off an effort to counter opposition to the law amid signs such opposition is gaining traction.

The House last month voted not to fund a portion of the Patriot Act that would have allowed federal agents to delay notification of searches of peoples' homes. In the Senate earlier this year, an effort by Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch to extend some provisions of the law set to expire in 2005 failed.

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean said "(Ashcroft) must not be allowed to compromise our freedoms any further" and called for a rollback of "anti-terror tactics that go far beyond protecting our country and erode the rights of average Americans."

North Carolina Sen. John Edwards said Ashcroft's Justice Department "has rolled over our rights for the last two years."

Concern about the law isn't limited to Democrats. Several conservative groups, including the Eagle Forum and the American Conservative Union, also have registered opposition to elements of the law, on civil liberties grounds. Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, a Republican, told the Associated Press last week "there may come a time, and it may be next year, when we need to pull it back."

Justice Department spokeswoman Barbara Comstock -- wearing a white t-shirt that said "Freedom" in red letters across the front -- dismissed criticism of the Patriot Act as the work of "a small, vocal minority" spreading misinformation.

Small vocal minority or large silent majority? Why do Republicans in office always start culture wars?

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