Be sure to read the Wall Street Journal's editorial about the hot desert winds blowing from the mouth of so many senators (Russ Feingold and Jack Reed, among others) this winter about "secret" wiretaps conducted by the NSA and authorized by the president.

Far from being the long-hoped for scandal that brings Bush down, this appears to be a kerfuffle of underwhelming proportions:

...in a previous FISA case (U.S. v. Truong), a federal "court, as did all the other courts to have decided the issue [our emphasis], held that the President did have inherent authority to conduct warrantless searches to obtain foreign intelligence information." And further that "we take for granted that the President does have that authority and, assuming that is so, FISA could not encroach on the President's constitutional power."

In fact, key members of Congress (including minority House leader Nancy Pelosi and others who are crying foul) have been briefed on this a dozen times, and the program comes under review every 45 days by the Justice Department and the President. Well, congratulations, Mr. National Security Leaker with a Bone to Pick, now that al Qaeda knows their phone communications are vulnerable, I guess they'll change tactics. That's what you wanted, isn't it?