John Hinderaker analyzes coverage of the testimony vs. the actual Senate transcript - concluding The New York Times Blew the Story. After reading the transcript I think John is correct, but you’ll need to read John’s complete arguments and the transcript to draw your own conclusion. In brief, here are the respective headlines:
The Washington Times: “FISA Judges Say Bush Within Law”
The New York Times: “Judges on Secretive Panel Speak Out on Spy Program”
John’s concluding paragraph:
New York Times reporter Eric Lichtblau has a considerable career investment (and, I suspect, an ideological investment as well) in the idea that the NSA program is illegal. It would seem that Lichtblau’s preconceptions and biases prevented him from accurately reporting what happened in the Judiciary Committee hearing yesterday. His suggestion that the main thrust of the judges’ testimony was to “voice skepticism about the president’s constitutional authority” is simply wrong; in fact, I can’t find a single line in more than 100 pages of transcript that supports Lichtblau’s reporting. It’s a sad thing when a once-respected newspaper can’t be counted on for a straight account of a Congressional hearing.
0 Responses to “NSA Intercepts: FISA judges testify to Senate Judiciary committee”