Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush have sided with the hawks, saying the world is getting more dangerous, and the ability to suss out terrorist plots demands the kinds of powers the government has claimed in the Patriot Act, including bulk collection of records of Americans' behavior.

Fighting a lonely battle against them is Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, who says it's time for the Patriot Act powers to expire.