Taylor Marsh – TaylorMarsh.com – News, Opinion and Weblog on Progressive Politics

Justice Dept. to release NSA documents

Glenn
Greenwald has the whole story and it's good news for our side.

Then today came news that Justice is getting slapped.

The Justice Department's Office of Professional
Responsibility has opened an internal investigation into the department's
role in approving the Bush administration's warrantless domestic eavesdropping
program, officials said yesterday.

In addition, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales signaled
in an interview with The Washington Post yesterday that the administration
will sharply limit the testimony of former attorney general John D. Ashcroft
and former deputy attorney general James B. Comey, both of whom have been
asked to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the program.

“Clearly, there are privilege issues that have
to be considered,” Gonzales said. “As a general matter, we would
not be disclosing internal deliberations, internal recommendations. That's
not something we'd do as a general matter, whether or not you're a current
member of the administration or a former member of the administration.”

Justice
Dept. Role in Eavesdropping Decision Under Review

Specter isn't going to ask for any “internal memoranda or
any internal discussions,” but he does expect Comey to discuss debates
inside the Bush White House and beyond on why Andy Card and Gonzales ended up
in Ashcroft's hospital room.

The Senate Intelligence committee is scheduled to vote today on
a Democratic proposal to launch a congressional inquiry into the NSA program.
With the Republicans controlling Congress, both houses, good luck.

Clearly, the White House wants to keep the NSA deliberations and
decisions, not to mention their illegal maneuverings, secret.

Speaking of secret machinations, Steve
Clemons has a fascinating piece on Cheney's “Declassification Machine.”
It goes to the heart of the secrecy, lack of transparency, as well as the power
of the vice president, who Alberto Gonzales says is a better “expert”
on the NSA than even he is.

UPDATE: Apropos of nothing, but for us national security nuts, “Knocking on Osama's Door,” is a spectacular read. With all due respect to General Franks, who is a good American, Gary Berntsen blows him out of the water.