To make it slightly more palatable (at them time) to those on the fence. If anybody did raise an objection it was quickly brought up how this was 'just' a temporary measure. It is going to be a long time before the patriot act goes away for good.
the climate was such that the desire for Congress to do _something_ necessitated compromise for speed of decision. "No one actually read it" reflects the reality that the bill was _going_ to pass. the accommodations made for people who _would_ have been on the fence were made to speed the process.