No, seriously.
Senators Alarmed by Alleged CIA Spying
Senators on Wednesday expressed alarm at explosive allegations that the CIA might have spied on their computers to keep tabs on their controversial review of Bush-era “enhanced interrogation” techniques.
—
Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) confirmed Wednesday that the CIA inspector general was investigating accusations that the covert agency had peered into the panel’s computers. But she didn’t comment on reports that the investigator has referred the matter to the Justice Department.Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.), an ex officio member of the Intelligence panel, said the charge of spying is “extremely serious.”
“There are laws against intruding and tampering, hacking into, accessing computers without permission. And that law applies to everybody,” he said.
Whew! (wipes eyes) Good one, Senator Levin. Now please tell us the one about “public service” again.
What the good senator means, of course, is that there are laws against intruding and tampering, hacking into, accessing senators’ computers without permission. And that prohibition applies to everybody. In short, the U.S. Senate has finally found a surveillance target it doesn’t like.
In a just world, this would be really entertaining. But I give it at least a 60% chance the good senators will be J. Edgar Hoover’ed into silence.
Silenced? Maybe. But since when does what they “say” have anything to do with what they think (sic) or do? And in any case, it won’t make a particle of difference to who, when or how the mundanes are spied on, of course.
But I love the horse laugh picture. Stole it… 🙂
In other news: Man shoots self in head while demonstrating gun safety: http://clawson.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/gun-safety-lesson-ends-tragically-when-oakland-county-man-shoots-himself-in-the-head-clawson
I enjoy those stories. (grin) Unfortunately, there never seem to be any fewer morons like that… sigh
I am in awe at the sheer chutzpah it took for the senators to puff up about this.
[Insert quote about animals and equality.]
I read another version of this story earlier today. In this version the spin was that the nasty congressional aides had stolen files that weren’t supposed to leave CIA premises – files that were only available for viewing. When the CIA called them on the misappropriated files they wondered how the CIA knew – hence their suspicions that the laptops the CIA provided them were compromised.
Here it is:
Senate staffers slipped secret CIA documents from agency’s headquarters
Sounds like a bunch of people who deserve each other.
“I’m going to try to make sure I don’t spill anything on my tie,” he responded.”
^ Response from POTUS in PNO’s link.
Almost like Monty Python…