GOP Steps Up Moves Against Lawyers  Senate Republicans, who've
already attacked trial lawyers for fighting the lingering FISA
issue, are turning to "patent trolls" (those who aggressively
enforce patents) as they move to claim that lawyers challenging
post-9/11 legislation are jeopardizing national security.  "We
are going to start making their support for patent troll lawyers
an issue," said a senior Senate GOP leadership aide. "These are
examples of where the Democrats are putting these patent trolls
and their clients ahead of national security. It's a trend; it's
a pattern."  In the case of the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act, Republicans have claimed that opposition
lawyers are undermining national security by blocking
retroactive immunity for telecommunication companies that
cooperated with the post-9/11 wiretap program. Now Republicans
are turning to patent lawyers and an issue related to Check 21,
part of the post-9/11 international finance initiatives.
Republicans led by Sen. Jeff Sessions of A