I'll be the first to admit that Ken Salazar has gotten off to a crappy start as a Senator, with his vote against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge the only highlight so far. Well, OK, not the first -- I'd have several e-mails in my in-box telling me how crappy he is the moment I fired up the computer.
But anyway . . . now we are finally seeing the Ken Salazar I thought we'd get when we elected him -- cosponsoring, along with Sens. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), Larry Craig (R-Id.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the SAFE Act, which would roll back a number of the most noxious provisions of the so-called USA PATRIOT Act. (Link via Ralph.) TalkLeft calls the bill a "great beginning" toward fixing the problems with the PATRIOT Act.
The SAFE Act is endorsed by the ACLU and the Gun Owners of America, and they've got a Western Republican as a co-sponsor. That's why I see this sponsorship as the Salazar I thought we would get -- not as liberal as me, maybe needing a Republican on his side to give him some bipartisan cover, but actually doing some good work. Really, with the PATRIOT Act as unpopular as it is, and not just among liberals, I'm surprised there aren't more co-sponsors on this thing. I guess joining forces with gun rights advocates and civil libertarians to roll back the Bush Administration's supposed anti-terrorism powers isn't such an obviously smart move elsewhere as it is in Colorado.
Anyway, here's hoping this is the moment Ken Salazar finds his footing as a U.S. Senator.
Update: Ken also ditches the DLC. Running with the pack? Well sure, but still it is a good move.
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