Posted on November 22, 2011

Gingrich Spars With Ron Paul After He Calls Patriot Act "Unpatriotic"

GOP candidates Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul debate the merits of extending the Patriot Act to secure our country.



"The Patriot Act is unpatriotic because it undermines our liberty," Ron Paul said at the GOP debate in Washington, DC on Tuesday night. "I'm concerned as everybody is about [a] terrorist attack." Transcript of Ron Paul below.





PAUL: I think the Patriot Act is unpatriotic because it undermines our liberty. I'm concerned, as everybody is, about the terrorist attack. Timothy McVeigh was a vicious terrorist. He was arrested. Terrorism is still on the books, internationally and nationally, it's a crime and we should deal with it.



We dealt with it rather well with Timothy McVeigh. But why I really fear it is we have drifted into a condition that we were warned against because our early founders were very clear. They said, don't be willing to sacrifice liberty for security.



Today it seems too easy that our government and our congresses are so willing to give up our liberties for our security. I have a personal belief that you never have to give up liberty for security. You can still provide security without sacrificing our Bill of Rights.



(APPLAUSE)



BLITZER: I want to bring others in, but do you want to respond, Mr. Speaker?



GINGRICH: Yes. Timothy McVeigh succeeded. That's the whole point.



(APPLAUSE)



GINGRICH: Timothy McVeigh killed a lot of Americans. I don't want a law that says after we lose a major American city, we're sure going to come and find you. I want a law that says, you try to take out an American city, we're going to stop you.