Flypaper Follies

Damn I forgot! They listen in!

From the dccc.org stakeholder blog:

For weeks and weeks we've heard about how the NYT story on domestic spying damaged national security, but we've never been told why. Sen. Joe Biden asked Att. General Alberto Gonzales. Gonzales acknowledged that Al Qaeda was probably already aware that we were trying to conduct surveillance on them, but that as long as it wasn't in the newspapers, sometimes they forget.

Below is the link where I found this and here’s the relevant part of the transcript:

SEN. BIDEN: General, how has this revelation damaged the program?

I'm almost confused by it but, I mean, it seems to presuppose that these very sophisticated Al Qaida folks didn't think we were intercepting their phone calls.

I mean, I'm a little confused. How did it damage this?

GONZALES: Well, Senator, I would first refer to the experts in the Intel Committee who are making that statement, first of all. I'm just the lawyer.

And so, when the director of the CIA says this should really damage our intel capabilities, I would defer to that statement. I think, based on my experience, it is true -- you would assume that the enemy is presuming that we are engaged in some kind of surveillance.

But if they're not reminded about it all the time in the newspapers and in stories, they sometimes forget.

(LAUGHTER)

http://www.dccc.org/stakeholder/archives/004310.html