another view of Daschle

[Doug Henwood]

At 5:12 PM -0400 5/22/02, PROGRESSIVE REVIEW wrote:
>INTERVIEW IN PROGRESSIVE MAGAZINE - Q: You were the lone Senator to
>oppose the USA Patriot Act. How would you describe Senate Majority Leader
>Tom Daschle's reaction to you?
>
>SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD: Fairly brutal. I want to thank Tom Daschle on
>campaign finance reform. He really came around and helped us move it
>through. I had a reverse experience on the USA Patriot Act. When the
>original Ashcroft anti-terrorism bill came in, they wanted us to pass it two
>days later. I thought this thing was going to be greatly improved. They did
>get rid of a couple of provisions, like looking into educational records.
>But there were still twelve or thirteen very disturbing things, and I
>thought, OK, we'll take care of this. But then something happened in the
>Senate, and I think the Democratic leadership was complicit in this.
>Suddenly, the bottom fell out. I was told that a unanimous consent agreement
>was being offered with no amendments and no debate. They asked me to give
>unanimous consent. I refused. The Majority Leader came to the floor and
>spoke very sternly to me, in front of his staff and my staff, saying, you
>can't do this, the whole thing will fall apart. I said, what do you mean
>it'll fall apart, they want to pass this, too. I said, I refuse to consent.
>He was on the belligerent side for Tom Daschle. And everybody said they were
>surprised at his remarks. Reporters thought it was so unlike him. And it is
>unlike him.
>
>One of the interesting stories in this -- and this is one that a lot of
>progressives don't want to hear, but it's the truth -- is that John Ashcroft
>gave me a call and said, what are your concerns? And I told him my concerns
>about the computer stuff and sneak and peek searches. He said, you know, I
>think you might be right. The White House overruled him, which is a
>fundamental point here. Anyone who wants to focus their fire on Ashcroft is
>missing the point. This is the Bush Administration. Ashcroft is its 
>instrument.
>
>What happened in the Senate was that even though the Attorney General was
>going to allow these changes to make it moderately better, the
>Administration insisted, and Daschle went along with pushing this through. I
>finally got to offer the amendments late at night, and I got up there and I
>made my arguments. And a lot of Senators came around to me, who, of course,
>voted for the bill, and said, you know, I think you're right. Then Daschle
>comes out and says, I want you to vote against this amendment and all the
>other Feingold amendments; don't even consider the merits. This was one of
>the most fundamental pieces of legislation relating to the Bill of Rights in
>the history of our country! It was a low point for me in terms of being a
>Democrat and somebody who believes in civil liberties.
>
>http://www.progressive.org/May%202002/intv0502.html