WHY SPY: The invariably wise and cheeky Kathleen Parker drills right to the core of the debate about Bush's counterintelligence measures. Money quote:

Thus, try as I might, I can't muster outrage over what appears to be a reasonable action in the wake of 9/11. As a rule, I'm as averse as anyone to having people "spying" on me. I'm also as devoted to protecting civil liberties as any other American. But the privilege of debating our constitutional rights requires first that we be alive. If federal agents want to listen in on suspected terrorists as they plot their next mass murder, please allow me to turn up the volume.

Turns out most American agree. A survey by Rasmussen Reports of 1,000 adults on Dec. 26-27 found that 64 percent of Americans (including 51 percent of Democrats) polled believe the NSA should be allowed to intercept telephone conversations between terrorism suspects in other countries and people living in the United States. (Will Hillary side with the crazy left on this issue, or will she align with most Americans — and her husband, and Jimmy Carter, who likewise argued for broad presidential counterintelligence latitude?)