Sandler says it best...

It's time for Chanukah...come Sunday night.

The patriot act has been extended for 6 more months.

Senator Russ Feingold, who took the lead on this issue, released a statement:

"Today is a victory for the American people and the bipartisan group of Senators who have been fighting against efforts to extend the Patriot Act permanently without protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens. I am pleased that the Republican leadership backed down from their irresponsible threat to let the Patriot Act expire and agreed to a 6-month extension of the provisions that would have sunset at the end of this year. This will allow more time to finally agree on a bill that protects our rights and freedoms while preserving important tools for fighting terrorism. Those of us who stood up to demand modest and reasonable protections of our liberties never wanted to stop Patriot Act reauthorization. We just want to get it right this time around.

"We could have avoided these last-minute negotiations if the House had just adopted the Senate version of the Patriot Act that passed unanimously earlier this year. As we move forward, I hope that the Republican leadership in the Senate and the administration will continue down the path they started on tonight so that we don't find ourselves in this same situation 6 months from now. One thing is clear - what happened in the Senate over the past few weeks shows that this conference report is dead."

Senators Bayh and Hagel have asked UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to condemn the Iranian president's remarks.

"Words matter. The United Nations, and indeed all international organizations, must not accept hateful, anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism as business as usual," Senators Bayh and Hagel wrote in their letter. "We respectfully urge you to … marshal the international community against these falsehoods and to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons."

Mark Warner has final say on whether Mark Warner runs for president.