As Ross noted this morning, a move by the GOP leadership to fast-track the extention of some provisions of the Patriot Act failed in the House yesterday. These provisions are still likely to pass, but the Cato Institute’s Julian Sanchez notes that there could be an opening to improve the law:

The failure of the fast-track vote means that we may see the reauthorization introduced under rules that would allow amendments aimed at remedying the civil liberties problems with the three expiring provisions, or with the still more controversial Patriot expansion of National Security Letter authority, which under current law does not expire.

Julian goes on to advocate what sound like some very reasonable tweaks to the law that could protect civil liberties without compromising national security. One hopes that his prescriptions gain an audience on Capitol Hill.