It's the case, historically, that civil liberties restrict during time of war and expand again in peacetime. Lincoln suspending habeas corpus during the Civil War, Espionage Act of 1917, Japanese American internment camps during WWII, Smith Act, Subversive
Activities
Control
Act, McCarthyism, etc.<p>Recent re-expansion has included the New York Times' successful defense of the publication of The Pentagon Papers. I think we're seeing another example of this here. 9/11-like attacks have not reoccured, and the public pendulum is shifting back.<p>If no more significant terrorist attacks occur, eventually I predict that significant portions of the Patriot Act will not be renewed. This is somewhat like firing your gardner as unnecessary because you don't see any weeds in your garden, but, even so, I suspect the Patriot Act is overkill.