WASHINGTON, December 17, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – In a stinging defeat for wartime President George W. Bush, the US Senate blocked on Friday, December 16, the renewal of the controversial Patriot Act, demanding increased protection of civil liberties.

A showdown bid to end debate and move to passage of renewal legislation fell eight votes short of the needed 60 in the 100-member Senate, reported Reuters.

The vote was 52-47, with a handful of Republicans joining most Democrats in a procedural roadblock.

Bush said senators who are "filibustering the Patriot Act must stop their delaying tactics so that we are not without this critical law for even a single moment."

The Patriot Act was rushed through Congress after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and has been strongly criticized by American and international rights groups.

It expanded the authority of the federal government on such fronts as information sharing, obtaining private records and conducting secret searches and roving wiretaps.

Approved earlier this week by the House of Representatives, the renewal legislation would make permanent 14 provisions set to expire on December 31, and extend three others for four years.

Congressional officials pointed to a provision in the existing law that said even if it expired, law enforcement agencies could continue to wield Patriot Act powers in existing investigations of all known groups such as Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and the Zarqawi group in Iraq.

Justice Department officials said no existing wiretap would have to be turned off.

Senate Democratic and Republican opponents said despite increased judicial and congressional oversight contained in the legislation, the government would still have too much power to pry into the lives of  Americans.

But they said expiring provisions could be swiftly renewed if lawmakers agreed to better balance national security with civil liberties.

Sen. John Sununu, a New Hampshire Republican, stood by his opposition.

"In my state, I think there's pretty strong support for protecting civil liberties during times of war and peace."

Much of the controversy involved powers granted to law enforcement agencies to gain access to a wealth of personal data, including library and medical records, in secret, as part of investigations into suspected terrorist activity.

The bill also includes a four-year extension of the government's ability to conduct roving wiretaps — which may involve multiple phones.

A May 2004 report by the US Senate Office Of Research concluded that Arab Americans and the Muslim minority have taken the brunt of the Patriot Act and other federal powers applied in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.