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Bravo for the judges on the FISA court, who want to know whether their own actions have been tainted by the Bush administration's and NSA's unwarranted and warrantless spying. In asking the perpetrators, however, they have no check on who is telling the truth. They should at least ask for information from the NYT reporters who uncovered the story and who have not released everything they know about the techniques involved in the process of information gathering because the president asked them not to divulge everything they know. The court has the right and the need to know, if they are to draw rational conclusions. The whole world is out there, speculating about methods and the length and breadth of the snooping: is it a data-mining operation like Able Danger, in other words a fishing expedition? is it a selective procedure that intercepts a few calls or e-mails once in awhile? is it a reliable program, and has it actually caught any terrorists? The court needs answers, and so do Congress and the nation. Mr. Risen and his colleagues at the Times should be called to answer as a check on what the government officials and NSA officers say. Or, I suppose, we can all wait and buy Mr. Risen's book next year.
