Via Breitbart/AP:

By JESSE J. HOLLAND
Associated Press Writer
Dec 21 9:17 PM US/Eastern

WASHINGTON – Senators on Wednesday agreed to extend the expiring provisions of the USA Patriot Act for six months to allow the bill’s critics to continue to seek additional civil liberty safeguards in the anti-terrorism law. The deal, if passed by the GOP-controlled Senate, would still need to get the approval of the Republican-controlled House and President Bush, but it would keep the Patriot Act provisions from expiring on Dec. 31.

Republican and Democratic senators have been negotiating all day long to try and break an impasse over the anti-terrorism law passed after the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington. It is one of the last pieces of legislation still outstanding in the Senate, which is trying to wrap up its legislative year.

A House-Senate compromise extending 16 expiring provisions of the Patriot Act has been stuck in the Senate for the past week because of a Democratic-led filibuster. Opponents of that bill say they want more safeguards in the legislation, and have asked for more time to seek more civil liberty protections in the law…

Kathryn Lopez shares a source’s observations:

Just talked to a Senate source: They’re close to a deal where the Republicans who voted to filibuster the Patriot renewal will switch sides on the [p]romise that their concerns will be addressed by the end of May (“a vote on a package of ‘reforms’). But: “even if we keep the dems we had on the last vote, we are still three shy of cloture. McCain is gone, so that means we’re four short. We have to convince four more dems. I’m not holding my breath.”

Reminder of the GOP Senate wobblies from the Wash Times earlier this morning:

Four Senate Republicans are defying their leadership and President Bush on renewing the USA Patriot Act because they say it lacks enough civil-liberties protection.

While one of those Republicans — Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska — is often a public thorn in the side of leadership and Mr. Bush, the other three rarely take center stage as Republican renegades. Sens. John E. Sununu of New Hampshire, Larry E. Craig of Idaho and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska all vote with Republican leadership more than 90 percent of the time, according to an analysis by Congressional Quarterly…

Hugh Hewitt weighs in on Sen. Sununu. Sununu’s response in NRO is here.

Scott Ott brilliantly skewers the timetable-driven fools in the Senate.