Myth, Fact and Comedy

Over at the Carpetbagger Report, Steve Benen has a deliciously insightful deconstruction of that White House "Official Myth vs. Fact" sheet on exactly why it's such a freakin' national disaster that Congress refused to pass that FISA bill.

Excerpts:

MYTH: If any new surveillance needs to begin, the FISA court can approve a request within minutes. In the case of an emergency, surveillance can begin immediately and FISA approval can be obtained later.
FACT: Reverting to the outdated FISA statute risks our national security. FISA's outdated provisions created dangerous intelligence gaps, which is why Congress passed the Protect America Act in the first place.
STEVE: Um, guys? In this case, the "fact" does not disprove the "myth." In fact, it's a non sequitur. The White House presented a "myth," apparently in the hopes of disproving it, and then didn't point to any evidence that actually undermined the veracity of the original claim, which, inconveniently, happens to be accurate.

Or how about this one:

MYTH: The future security of our country does not depend on whether Congress provides liability protection for companies being sued for billions of dollars only because they are believed to have assisted the Government in defending America after the 9/11 attacks.
FACT: Without the retroactive liability protection provided in the bipartisan Senate bill, we may not be able to secure the private sector's cooperation with current and future intelligence efforts critical to our national security.
STEVE: That may sound nice, but this "fact" is plainly false. This administration, or any future administration, can secure the private sector's cooperation with a court order.

I guess this is just another example of how fucking stupid the BFEE really thinks we are. And I guess by and large we are -- we just keep letting them get away with it since to do otherwise would "embolden" the terrorists. Remember the BFEE motto: You're either with us or you're with the terrorists.