..out of the dark

Mr. Greenwald, out there asking questions:

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/04/03/mukasey/index.html

Yesterday, I contacted Lee Hamilton, the 9/11 Commission Vice Chairman, to ask him whether the Commission was ever told about Mukasey's alleged Afghan Terrorist 9/11-planning telephone calls and/or the Bush administration's failure/inability to eavesdrop on such calls. Hamilton refused to comment, first claiming that he was in meetings all day yesterday and had no time to talk to me. When asked if he would comment today or whenever he had time, he said he was not going to comment on this ever, since he had not read Mukasey's speech. Calls to 9/11 Executive Director Philip Zelikow seeking comment were not returned and 9/11 Commission Chairman Tom Kean could not yet be reached.

And for those of you who can't really remember what it was like back when journalists actually asked real questions, instead of stupidly responding to whatever was put in front of their noses - here's what actually happened:
1. The Bush- administration makes one of their fantastic claims.
2. There is a way to figure out if what they claim is true, and it has some public interest to find it out - in this case, what sort of fuck- up really is involved with the entire "must dissolve FISA" stuff. Specifically, it's perfectly possible that the interpretation the justice- department is flagging is so narrow (and has been constructed so "deliberately") that it actually is necessary for the executive to claim near dictatorial powers to have any flexibility with the intelligence operations.
3. Greenwald then asks someone who should be able to know.
4. He refuses to answer, because he knows that by doing so, he will either set himself up, or set up the Bush- administration.
5. With the result that they now share the blame instead.
6. While highlighting that secrecy in government is little else than propping up single individuals for personal crusades, noble or not so much.

Of course, if this catches on, the US will be invaded by wolves, so stay alert, people.

addendum:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/04/08/hamilton/index.html

I am unfamiliar with the telephone call that Attorney General Mukasey cited in his appearance in San Francisco on March 27. The 9/11 Commission did not receive any information pertaining to its occurrence.

Hamilton does the right thing. Fantastic - Incredible work. Greenwald rules. I'm sensing slight democracy happening.