<sarcasm>

Wow what a surprise.  When they confessed to snooping on Americans without warrants, they didn't tell us the whole story.

Boy, am I shocked.  I really thought that they came clean because they knew what they were doing was wrong, and wanted to ease their troubled and guilty minds...not because they'd gotten caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

It's almost as if that confession were damage control.

</sarcasm>

I wonder if those electronic data mining devices are picking up more and more of the "I word" in people's private conversations?

Also, does it seem weird to you that it was the agencies and operatives themselves who raised questions and objections to the legality of what they were doing?

I didn't think there was a cop in the world who's even met a loophole he didn't like and wouldn't take if it got him to the bad guys quicker.

Not saying anything against cops in particular...just, they're focused on the job, which is to get the bad guys.  They're so focused on the job, they don't want to be distracted by wondering where the line is.  At least, that's the reputation. That's what we want of them.  We want them totally focused on the job, and us tellin' them where the line is.  We don't want them to have to philosophise...we want them to get the bad guys.

It's bad that it doesn't get questioned until it reaches the the guys actually doing the work.