Secrecy Above All For Bush

Apparently the Republicans don't want US to know what it is costing to have ourselves spied upon by the NSA.

The House Intelligence Committee on Thursday rejected a proposal to withhold money from the National Security Agency if the White House did not reveal information about the cost of the agency's warrantless surveillance program.

In a session closed to reporters, only Rep. Heather Wilson (news, bio, voting record), R-N.M., who heads a subcommittee that oversees the NSA, voted with the Democrats to support the measure to hold back one-fifth of the agency's budget.

Then, we find in the same article, Bush dodged a bullet.

The committee also rejected legislation that would force the Bush administration to carve out $3 million for a board created in late 2004 to protect Americans' civil liberties from government infringements. Democrats have complained for months about what they consider to be Republican foot-dragging in establishing the civil liberties panel, formally known as the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.

Now who in hell thought it was a good idea to create a board to protect American's civil liberties? Damn that was short-sighted. How can Bush secretly spy on Americans, read their emails and record the discussions with their doctors and lawyers if some nosey board is trying to protect their civil liberties? Isn't it bad enough having to deal with the ACLU?