There are two interesting articles on the wire-tapping imbroglio.

The first WP story is about the FISA judges had no knowledge of the program.

Several judges on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court said they want to hear directly from administration officials why President Bush believed he had the authority to order, without the court's permission, wiretapping of some phone calls and e-mails after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Of serious concern to several judges is whether any information gleaned from intercepts by the National Security Agency was later used to gain their permission for wiretaps without the source being disclosed.
...
Yesterday, Rep. Jane Harman (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, sent a letter to Bush charging that the limited nature of congressional briefings on the monitoring program violated the National Security Act. The White House informed the chairmen of the House and Senate intelligence oversight committees and the two ranking Democrats about the program.

The National Security Act requires the president to keep all members of the two committees fully informed of intelligence activities with the exception of those conducted covertly overseas. "In my view, failure to provide briefings to the full congressional intelligence committees is a continuing violation of the National Security Act," Harman wrote.

Then there's this story about how the FBI may have been using secret wiretaps without the president even knowing. It's nice to see that our government is no different from any other throughout history, in a crisis, they're perfectly willing to trample on the rule of law, the constitution, etc.

This leads to the new Democratic slogan for 2006, "Give me liberty or give me death." After all, it's the Republican pussies who are willing to stomp all over the constitution because they're afraid of Osama Bin Laden. They're the ones letting the terrorists win the cowards. To them it's better to let the rule of law be trampled, and all protections for citizens and common decency itself to be ruled "quaint" simply because they got a little scared. So, from now on the Republicans shall be known as the party of cowards and sissies. Screw them.