Denials from these telecommunications firms have always focused almost exclusively on the existence of contracts, rather than the issue of whether customer records actually WERE turned over to the NSA, with or without a "contract". It all depends, I suppose, on the definition of "contract" -- many arrangements can be made that don't involve formal contracts. A whole new wrinkle to "Don't ask, don't tell" creeps insistently into the back of the mind.

Those denials were always carefully worded in ways that avoided addressing whether these companies knew that the NSA actually had customer records, regardless of how they were obtained. How hard is it for our media to pose several simple questions to AT&T, BellSouth, Verizon and Qwest?

"Do you know if the NSA, or any other such government agency, has customer records from your company? If the answer is yes, do you know how they obtained them? If this answer is also yes, can you disclose how and when this occurred?"

Rich Emery expresses so well what must be done to get at these companies (AT&T etc) and their possible duplicitous complicity in this government spying situation for which there is no law or congressional oversight that allows it.

Another thought that comes to mind is that some or all of this situation is either a sting operation or being turned into a sting operation to discredit the reporters and their publisher.

My sense is that this is what happened to Dan Rather. I think that in the long run his findings will either prove to be true or that he was the victim of an elaborate sting operation to discredit him and all of the media.

This endless Rovian 'bull' that the MSM has a left wing liberal bias is, at least to me, completely false and merely a part of Rove's political machine to discredit the MSM and they have succumbed/fallen for/allowed themselves to be rendered useless and ineffective.

The MSM went after Clinton on an almost daily basis for every bit of dirt that was even just alluded too often before any accusations were proved. He was the president and anything the president does makes frontpage news especially ever since Nixon, Watergate and the Vietnam war with it's government generated phony news about the war.

Now the Bushies, Repubs, neocons, theocrats and corporatists are in power and that puts them squarely in the news crosshairs, which is as it should be. If the Dems ever get back into power then they will be in the crosshairs of the MSM and that is as it should be.

These aforementioned groups want to be in power but they want everything they do to go unobserved by the MSM so they can get away with their secret and unbelievably until now corrupt actions. They just don't like being caught or held responsible for their actions, they want to commit these acts and expect to not be held responsible for the consequences. Imagine that...

We teach children that there are conseqences for their actions but the aforementioned groups expect that there should be no consequences for their knowingly corrupt and premeditated actions. It is small wonder that criminals, children and even 'normal' adults commit illegal or irresponsible acts just look at what the so called pillars of our community and government do on a daily basis.

We all, the American citizens must develop a critical and iconoclastic view of these so called icons whether they are in our religions, corporations or governments.

These people are just a bunch of highly paid screw ups' and worse than the rest of us because they should know better than the average, ordinary, everyday citizen with a high school education or less.

'We the people' must take these people off the pedestals that they put themselves on and realize that they MUST be held to the same standards that 'we the people' are held to and if that is not done our American society will continue devolving on that downward death spiral which we have been on since dubya and his minions/ legions have come into office and gained such unfettered power given to them by the Republican stranglehold on congress.

What a sad whisper to their customers disclosing just how wrong they got this story. I'd say its a disservice to their subscribers but somehow I have an issue calling hotels subscribers............What makes it even worse is that the story should have never been reported.........

It's also not that surprising that the lefties who have their ear on the ground to catch the latest conspiracy angle, have their head in a decent to position to read a publication that rests below the threshold of ones hotel room door.......................

So what position must their head be in to read the NYT? I won't go there...................