NSA Wednesday

Several NSA warrantless spying points today. Scott McClellan got blistered at today's gaggle over that foolish "Setting the Record Straight" press release designed to take the word "domestic" out of the warrantless domestic NSA spying.

Look, Scotty, I understand what you're trying to do, but if one of the parties is in the US, it's still domestic spying regardless of where the other party is, no matter if you call it an "international call." I guess it depends on what the definition of is is, eh, Scott?

Second, Arlen Specter sent Al Gonzales the questions ahead of the test, sending a letter to Gonzales outlining the subjects to be covered in the DOMESTIC NSA spying hearings. (warning, PDF)

Finally, Bush took reporters into the freaking NSA threat operations center. (No more claims that others are giving away sources and methods, Mr. Bush.) And while there, he pulled a full Osama.

"Officials here learn information about plotters and planners and people who would do us harm," Bush said, reading from note cards. "Now, I understand there's some in America who say, 'Well, this can't be true there are still people willing to attack.' All I would ask them to do is listen to the words of Osama bin Laden and take him seriously."

And, come on, George, I know that it's been awhile since you mentioned Osama, but do you still need note cards for the terror speech after giving it sixteen trillion times? Also, the AP reporter was nice enough to shoot down the Bush strawman in the next paragraph.

However, no one in the political debate over the war on terror or the NSA program has suggested that terrorists no longer want to attack the United States. Rather, Bush's critics have argued that the law requires him to get permission from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to eavesdrop on communications involving Americans.

From reading the coverage today, if today was to be the endpoint of the NSA spying justifications, it looks like the PR campaign flopped.