Sen. Craig shows integrity, strength

If Idaho’s potatoes are famous, so is the state’s stiff-backed political independence, of which U.S. Sen. Larry Craig gave an exemplary demonstration last week.

While negotiators from the House and Senate worked out a compromise that would allow renewal of the USA Patriot Act, a bipartisan handful of Senate skeptics, including Craig, held out. Craig, a stalwart conservative Republican, thus found himself generally in agreement with liberal Wisconsin Democrat Russell Feingold, someone who’s normally about as far from him on the ideological spectrum as possible.

In all, three Democrats and three Republicans issued a statement saying they were “gravely disappointed” in the inadequacy of changes reflected in the compromise produced by a conference committee.

Besides Craig and Feingold, the holdouts include Democrats Dick Durbin of Illinois and Ken Salazar of Colorado and Republicans John Sununu of New Hampshire and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

The Patriot Act was passed in the wake of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, when soaring national anxiety left many Americans willing to risk erosion of domestic liberties in exchange for stronger protection against terrorists. At the time, Republican Congressman Butch Otter of Idaho was the only member of House or Senate to speak out in opposition to the threat on Americans’ civil liberties.

Now, more than four years after 9/11, doubts about the Patriot Act are more widespread, as shown by the debate going on in Congress over its extension.

Not enough doubts to prevent the White House and a substantial number of House and Senate leaders, from both parties, from urging the latest revision to be extended beyond its Dec. 31 expiration date. Feingold, however, is worried enough about the authority the act grants government authorities to invade citizens’ private affairs that he is threatening a filibuster.

Craig may not be willing to go that far, but he has shown the backbone and integrity to stand apart from the majority of his party members and defend Idahoans’ – and other Americans’ – rights.

In time, a revised Patriot Act is likely to be approved. If it is first improved and made less threatening to domestic liberties, it will be due in large part to an independent-minded Republican’s willingness to place principle ahead of partisanship.