You gotta be kidding me! I wasted five or six minutes reading this! I'll tell you; long before any senior Bush administration official is indicted for "eavesdropping," John Conyers' crazy wife will be indicted, tried and convicted for bribery in Detroit. (A Detroit city councilperson,she's currently the subject of a federal investigation into bribery for a city sludge hauling contract, and is in hiding from the press.)

Isn't it amazing how this blog's resident troll tries to equate a state malfeasance case with major federal felonies. How pathetic. He's truly a classic example of a fascist enabler.

As long as the Bush Administration promises to "keep us safe", there is no abuse of power, no invasion of privacy, no torture that Conservatives will not excuse. None.

Steney Hoyer, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and absolutely shocking, Barack H. Obama wanted this to all go away.

Those freaking coward worthless dipshits GAVE IN TO THE GOP AND GUTTED THE FOURTH AMENDMENT and all we get is an AT&T bag IF we are lucky enough to get to go to the Denver convention.

The crimes of the Bush administration CRY AND SCREAM for prosecution and if Obama gets into office he will roll over and grant all the 'loyal Bushies' a pardon.

Those that don't learn from history submit us to it again...

I think not. Nothing new here. Obama gets in, and America suddenly isn't going to be the world's biggest arsehole anymore?? Americans are going to become decent people?? Everything's going to change?? Come on. Bush & his buds are just the tip of a huge iceberg. Things are not going to change.

Find out why those 'democrats' want this to go away and you have your answer.

How deep does the rabbit hole go?

It's hard to tell but it has to be very deep because major 'democrat' players don't want the depths determined.

Is this worse than Watergate? Hell yes. Why? Because it involves BOTH political parties...

And I hope some of us will pursue it to the end. But we need to work on W. Bush's and Cheney's international, moral lawbreaking. We probably can get clearer indictments sooner on torture and murder, than we can get on these domestic rights-violations.

one the far right hand, we have elephant dick, toadying for anything the Bushistas have ever done or will do. stone cold fascist dupe. on the other, we have this year's version of the Raff Nadir mantra "they're all the same, nothing will change". Yeah, Gore and Bush were interchangeable. Actually, this cynical moronic crap is more destructive than the outright fascism, because it's more insidious. Will Obama change everything? Sober the hell up. It will take many years, and a great deal of determination by a great many people, to undo what's been done to this country since the ray-gun years. Eight years of Obama would be a good start. Panacea? Isn't that eye-talian bacon? Are you in junior high, or just high, period? Democracy is complicated, messy, embodies both the good and the evil of the country, and has one helluva lot of inertia. You throw up your hands at the impossibility. I throw up my dinner at your ignorance. Grow up. Please. jeff

It's a little ironic that on the same day Salon runs the story about the 'National Review' comparing Obama to Hitler, it decides to use a black eagle reminiscent of the Nazi symbol, to depict Bush and Cheney. Excellent story though.

Watergate ended in pardons. Iran-Contra ended in pardons. Yes, there was 'blood on the floor' but those that were offered up were sacrificed to save the heart of the party. That same heart of the party has lasted long enough to become the George Walker Bush administration.

The idea that Obama can continue his cowardice and pardon Bush and his junta (provided Bush doesn't pardon himself and all who participated) after all that has been and is yet to be disclosed is just completely and totally amazing to me...

I have a problem voting for Obama with the thought that he will finish the coverup for the Bush years and continue the treasonous future of the people that created the Bush Junta. Yes, McCain won't be any better in that Obama in that regard so that is what's making me think twice about voting for Obama. If he really covers-up the many crimes of the Bush Junta for 'political reasons' then I WILL regret his getting the office.

See, I'm a believer in this country. I admire the ideal that the founding fathers had when they gave the finger to the British and founded this country and I WANT BLOOD for the crimes that have been perpetrated on this country by those from the top and bottom of the Bush administration!

I WANT ROVE JAILED!!! I WANT CHENEY JAILED!!! I WANT BUSH JAILED!!! I WANT JUSTICE, NOT PUSSY DNC PARDONS!!!

Because it's entirely theoretical.

We've been hearing reports about massive databases and massive internet wiretapping since 2001. Why has there been so little reputably sourced information leaking out, given how many people must be involved?

I believe whistleblowers haven't come forward for four reasons.

1. The intelligence establishment is full of right wing authoritarians who believe security trumps everything, especially privacy.

2. Just as in the Justice and Defense Departments, Cheney made sure the important jobs were stocked with Republican cultists who "took oaths to the President," not the Constitution.

3. Continuity of government is "necessary to the survival of the nation itself" so secrecy seems justifiable to otherwise sensible and prudent government employees.

4. Continuity of government plans "will only be used in event of emergency," which sooths the consciences of potential whistleblowers, since they're just collecting information to be used in "purely hypothetical" situations. Of course, when someone decides to use the database, it's no longer hypothetical, but it's also already too late.

This last one is most important because it's unique to the present situation. Something similar to reasons 1-3 all applied to previous spying programs, like J. Edgar Hoover's FBI files. But post-Watergate and post-Church commission, I think the intelligence sector is a little too sophisticated for such crude rationalizations.

The "hypothetical" nature of Main Core was critical to getting everyone to go along with an unprecedented spying program.