hayden: most important government official since cold war

* arkin:

"Gen. Michael V. Hayden’s refreshing candor in an administration that can not bear to acknowledge any mistakes or take responsibility for any errors makes his unequivocal defense of NSA domestic collection all the more credible.

Let’s hope that the Bush administration comes to rue the day it nominated Hayden to be CIA director.
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Unstated but indisputable is the implication of this view: Our ongoing wars “against terror” in Iraq and Afghanistan are themselves triggers for global animosity and more terror.

It was in particular his response to questions about his criticism of the intelligence shop set up by Under Secretary of Defense Douglas Feith, though, where Hayden provided a glimmer of insight and hope about a better future.
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If Michael Hayden can see the light... he could be the most important government official since the end of the Cold War."

* as you know, i've long wondered why frank luntz thinks that it is massively important to say "2001" whenever referring to 911 (granted, it's an odd fascination). it looks like tony snow has already been read into the program:

"MR. SNOW: September 11, 2001 changed things..."

* comment from clemons' place:

"This is great, the traveling Plame debate circus! Currently performing at the WashingtonNote.
Looking forward to many years together!"

* tpmm: "Washington has shelled out more than $30 million to the Blackwater USA security firm since its men deployed after Katrina hit."

* tpmm: "AT&T may have been allowed to violate customer's privacy if Attorney General John Ashcroft wrote them a letter saying it was okay."

* tpmm:

"The Kentucky Supreme Court on Thursday invalidated a string of indictments charging members of Gov. Ernie Fletcher's administration with rewarding political supporters with state jobs, leaving only the misdemeanor counts against the governor himself. Fletcher had pardoned his entire administration – other than himself – for any charges that could result from a probe into allegations of hiring misconduct."

grrrrr.

* tpmm:

"A new Business Week article may help explain how AT&T and BellSouth can say they didn't help the NSA, despite the spy agency having millions of their records showing the call details of Americans using their networks.

The magazine reveals a hidden corner of the telecommunications world: a small group of companies who specialize in granting the government access to telecommunications records, conversations and real-time data on behalf of the telecom giants...

NeuStar's CEO has repeatedly denied that his company had anything to do with the NSA program. That may be so. But if NeuStar isn't the fabled third party to hand over the telcos' data to the NSA, then it seems that there are plenty of other suspects."