Politician of the Year 2003: Bernie Sanders

摘要

The USA patriot (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism) Act was passed a month after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks with little debate and less scrutiny. Few in Congress wanted to be seen as hampering the fight against the bad guys. Vermont's at-large representative, Bernie Sanders, the only Independent in the House, voted against the Patriot Act, among 66 representatives and one senator who bucked the tide. More importantly, Sanders was the first to propose publicly amending the act. His leadership on this issue has earned him Library Journal's 2003 Politician of the Year award.