President Bush criticized Hillary and her New York Democratic Senate colleague, Chuck Schumer, for blocking reauthorization of the Patriot Act, saying: “I want senators from New York or Los Angeles or Las Vegas to go home and explain why these cities are safer. ... It is inexcusable to say, on the one hand, connect the dots, and not give us a chance to do so.”
For her part, Sen. Clinton said, “I support extending the Patriot Act, but it must strike the proper balance between securing our safety and ensuring our freedom and must be changed to protect places like New York that face the greatest threat and risk. If President Bush is truly concerned about New York, he should stop letting his Republican congressional colleagues use these funds for pork barrel projects, and instead allocate them on the basis of real threat and risk.”
