Oklahoma City
Two likely Republican presidential candidates defended the PATRIOT Act and its terrorist surveillance provisions at a gathering of Republicans Friday morning. Both New Jersey governor Chris Christie and former Florida governor Jeb Bush were emphatic in their support for the National Security Agency’s metadata collection program.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, a Republican who is running for president, staged a filibuster earlier this week to protest the reauthorization of the PATRIOT Act and these provisions. And while his name wasn’t mentioned by Christie or Bush, Paul’s filibuster was clearly on their minds here at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference.