Congratulations, Mr. Bush. The Total Information Awareness project you have so craftily hidden away in the National Security Agency can now legally continue, thanks to the renewal of the Patriot Act.

As Senator Russ Feingold has pointed out, the new version of the Patriot Act only puts a fig leaf over the law’s grave violations of Americans’ constitutional rights. It’s the Patriot Act that has enabled the Bush White House to gather Americans’ private information into the huge government databases that form the basis for the continued work on the Total Information Awareness program.

President Bush has proven, time and again, that he has no respect for the liberty guaranteed to all people in the USA by the Bill of Rights. Whether it’s the Total Information Awareness program, military programs to spy on Americans, or the NSA warrantless wiretapping program, Bush has proved that he cannot be trusted with any extraordinary powers. Nonetheless, yesterday, the Senate handed extraordinary powers to George W. Bush, all wrapped up with glitter and a bow.

It’s bad enough that every single Republican in the Senate voted for the renewal without pushing for meaningful reform of the bill. What’s worse? 14 Democratic senators voted for the bill as well, still too afraid to stand up to George W. Bush, even when he has the worst interests of the American people at heart. If Paul Revere came riding by their homes, these Democratic senators would call the police about the violation of a sound ordinance, and then roll over and go back to sleep.

These Democrats ought to be ashamed of themselves: