John Ashcroft has launched a 16-city tour to garner public support for the new Patriot Act II. Earlier this month, the Bush Administration announced its support for the three-point plan to expand the existing Patriot Act. Dubbed “Patriot Act II”, the raft of expanded government powers has raised alarm bells of civil libertarians on both the left and right. During his whistle-stop tour, John Ashcroft has been facing these concerns head-on.
The Bush administration has argued that it needs extended legal powers to fight the War on Terror in America, and abroad. But at what point does the long arm of the law reach too far into the lives of Americans?
Click the “Listen” link to hear about Patriot Act II, American civil liberties and security concerns in America’s War on Terror.
Guests:
David Cole, professor of law at Georgetown University, author of “Enemy Aliens: Double Standards and Constitutional Freedoms in the War on Terrorism”
John Yoo, visiting professor of law at the University of Chicago, former deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice
Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst
