Obama, Liberals Split On Security And Media Issues

[Purveyor]

(10-15) 08:35 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) --

New cracks are opening in the relationship between President Barack Obama and his liberal allies in Congress over his desire to continue some Bush-era tactics against terrorism and his opposition to protecting reporters from revealing their sources in national security cases.

Some supporters are grousing that Obama, just like former President George W. Bush, is too willing to cite national security as a reason for invading Americans' privacy and restricting their right to know what the government is doing.

In recent weeks, the administration has asked Congress to extend key provisions of the USA Patriot Act that expire at year's end, sections that allow roving wiretaps on multiple phones, seizing of business records and a never-used authority to spy on non-Americans suspected of being terrorists even though they have no known connection to a recognized terrorist group.

Liberals have expressed a willingness to continue those practices, but they also are demanding restrictions on government surveillance and seizures and an increase in congressional scrutiny of government operations.

Justice Department witnesses, in two public hearings, repeatedly refused to answer questions from exasperated lawmakers on what Patriot Act changes the administration would support.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/10/15/national/w000959D88.DTL#ixzz0U1Mxcv42