The ant of a voice call "greyhair" had the temerity to say this a couple of days ago.  Now that the troops are saying it, I wonder if the story will get picked up?

Eric Alterman let's slip a little tidbit in his Think Again column in The Nation:

The New York Times held its story on domestic spying for more than a year and published it only when it became apparent that it would appear in a book by its reporter James Risen.

Here I was actually going to give the NY Times a teeny bit of credit (well, in my mind anyway) for finally doing the right thing, resisting White House pressure, and publishing the news of Bush's illegal domestic wiretaps.   If Alterman has this correct, and there's no reason to believe he doesn't, the Times only published the story because Risen had a book coming out that would scoop them.

Aside from the obvious reinforcement of the image of the Times as a self-serving co-opted institution, this sorta renders moot Franklin Foer's rant against the negative attitude by the "liberal bloggers" towards the Times good deed, now doesn' it.

So, now it appears that the NSA sorta, on it's own initiative, decided to start the illegal domestic wire tapping before Bush ordered the illegal domestic wire tapping.  WaPo

Even before the White House formally authorized a secret program to spy on U.S. citizens without obtaining warrants, such eavesdropping was occurring and some of the information was being shared with the FBI, declassified correspondence and interviews with congressional and intelligence officials indicate.

On Oct. 1, 2001, three weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Gen. Michael V. Hayden, who was running the National Security Agency at the time, told the House intelligence committee that the agency was broadening its surveillance authorities, according to a newly released letter sent to him that month by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.). Pelosi, the ranking Democrat on the committee, raised concerns in the letter, which was declassified with several redactions and made public yesterday by her staff.

"I am concerned whether and to what extent the National Security Agency has received specific presidential authorization for the operations you are conducting," Pelosi wrote on Oct. 11, 2001. The substance of Hayden's response one week later, on Oct. 17, 2001, was redacted.

This brings up a few other questions, like who did <span style="font-style: italic;">order</span> the initial illegal taps?  This smells like Cheney to me.  Maybe his "undisclosed" location after 911 was a bunker with headphones in his ears.  Pay attention as further details of this story dribble out.  Bolton is involved in this somewhere spying on Bill Richardson and who knows who.  We are still only seeing the tip of the iceberg.

As I've said before.  Osama bin Laden has to be surprised and amazed beyond his wildest dreams at just how fragile we Americans are, and just how effective the his terrorist operations have been.

This, is a very fitting ending to the story of Linda Tripp:

Weihnachts Markt is a traditional German Christmas market plunked down along the Middleburg's main drag.

Middleburg resident Linda Tripp (yes, of Clinton scandal fame) and her husband, German architect Dieter Rausch, are serving up bratwurst and other German delights to hungry, if not curious, passersby.

Longtime sweethearts Tripp and Rausch were married last year. They split their time between Middleburg and Germany, where they also have a home.

The couple opened their "magical" little house of treats three years ago. They took last holiday season off, much to the chagrin of many loyal patrons, and reopened for a second season this year.

...

"People love it," Tripp said, peeking out from under a wide-brimmed hat. "They come from far and wide."

She added that customers have traveled all the way from New York for a taste of their authentic German bratwurst, which comes directly from a German butcher.

You know, you just can't make this s**t up.  Linda Tripp, rich German Bratwurst vendor.  Something that only John Madden could love.