Dead Racists Society

So since it was revealed that the Bush administration has been breaking the law by ordering the NSA to use wiretaps without a warrant, right-wingers have kvetched that revealing this was a terrible leak that damaged national security. They've whined that those who were upset over outing Valerie Plame (remember that?)--a group of people that, naturally, does not include them--ought to be even more outraged at this. They've said that the whistle-blowers are traitors and ought to be thrown in jail. What they've never said is how this leak in any damaged national security. It should be pretty obvious to anyone, al Qaeda included, that their phones were at risk of being tapped. So what did this revelation tell them that would in any way help them attack the U.S.?

Alberto Gonzales finally answered that today:

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.

The only appropriate reaction comes from Digby:

The oceans no longer protect us. The terrorists are coming over any minute to kill us all in our beds. They are a ruthless enemy who hide in caves until they suddenly decide to strike without mercy. But they have an achilles heel. They are all suffering from serious memory problems. Unless they see it in the paper they forget that we are tapping telephones. Then they slap themselves in the forehead and say "Oh no! I've been calling my friend Mohammed in LA planning that awesome terrorist attack and like, totally fergot that the infidels are listening in. Fuck. Man, Zawahiri is gonna to be so pissed."