[JURIST] Speaking in San Francisco Thursday, ACLU [advocacy website] national executive director Anthony Romero criticized parts of the Patriot Act and urged judicial review and public scrutiny of any investigations into alleged terrorism. Romero, who was responding in part to a pitch for renewal made yesterday by President Bush [JURIST report], also cautioned against passing judgment too quickly in the recent Lodi investigation [JURIST report] of two men with alleged ties to al Qaeda. Skeptical of the Bush administration's attempts to extend and expand the legislation, Romero said that if new provisions allowed the government to investigate internet or library usage it would concentrate too much power in the executive branch. The Oakland Tribune has more. The ACLU has posted a press release responding to Thursday's Bush speech pressing for reauthorization.