by TChris

The Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility wondered what role Justice Department lawyers played in assisting the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping of Americans. OPR wanted to learn whether Justice Department lawyers broke any laws or otherwise behaved unethically, but the National Security Agency refused to give OPR's lawyers the security clearances they would need to learn about the program. (Any lawyer who investigates an administration program is apparently regarded as too disloyal to merit a security clearance.) Stymied, OPR closed its inquiry.

Any meaningful investigation will have to come from a legislature that has been loathe to expose any of the Bush administration's misconduct.

"This administration thinks they can just violate any law they want, and they've created a culture of fear to try to get away with that. It's up to us to stand up to them," said [Rep. Maurice] Hinchey.

Yes it is. And it's up to the rest of us to vote for legislators who have the courage to do so.