a small price to pay for keeping us safe from these threats. That start sets the tone for the entire testimony, which seemed more driven to playing the public's heartstrings then truly tackling the issue at hand.
             Mr. Ashcroft first addresses the Patriot Act at the bottom of page three of his testimony, vaguely discussing a specific instance of how provisions of the Patriot Act have led to better our national security in the war on terror. It seems that he is trying to lump the Patriot Act and the war on terror into one big policy initiative. By using the opening part of his speech to focus on 9/11, the war in Afghanistan, and the war on Al Qaeda, he is attempting to say that without the Patriot Act, we would not be able to fight this threat, and that we would be doing those who died on 9/11 a disservice by not honoring their memories. It is a good strategy to convince the public and Congress to go along
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