Below is the email I received from Senator Feinstein’s office in response to my email encouraging the continued investigation of the illegal wiretapping programs authorized by Mr. Bush. (Better late than never.)

Thank you for writing to me about recent revelations that the United States Government has engaged in domestic electronic eavesdropping without appropriate legal authority. I welcome the opportunity to respond.

On February 6th, the Senate Judiciary Committee held the first of a series of hearings into this matter, at which Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testified about the legality of the program. He provided none of the documents the Committee required for proper oversight, and his assurances alone did not allay my concerns. Instead, he propounded a radical legal theory of presidential power largely unrestrained by either Congress or the courts.

I have carefully reviewed the Constitution and the laws relating to this domestic intelligence activity, along with the President’s statements and those of the Attorney General and other Administration officials. I believe that the electronic surveillance program was not conducted in accordance with U.S. law. The program, as described, violates the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which requires a court order for surveillance of Americans. Congress has updated FISA many times since 9/11 in order to provide our nation with all the necessary tools to fight terrorism. The Administration has never asked for the authority to conduct this program.

I believe the Administration also violated the National Security Act, which requires all members of the Intelligence Committee to be fully and currently informed of all significant intelligence activities other than covert actions. I am a member of the Intelligence Committee, and yet I was not told about this program until it was made public.

There will be further hearings in the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence Committees. Once the facts are clear, we can decide on appropriate corrective action.

Again, thank you for writing. I hope that you will continue to write to me on issues of importance to you. Best regards.

Sincerely yours,

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator

Spring is here and with it, the national pastime, baseball. Baseball fans are a dedicated and knowledgeable bunch, and they will boo you lustily for any reason or no reason at all.

And so it was Tuesday. The team in our nation’s capital is called the Nationals, and in Washington, DC they called on a very familiar figure, Vice President Dick Cheney, to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at their first game at home.

And the fans were ready to let him know just what the thought of him. The boo birds of Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium ripped into the VP, loudly and repeatedly. It wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that the sustained booing was what caused the VP to bounce his pitch into the dirt, several feet in front of the catcher.

I love baseball.

It’s sad really. Turns out the next two days are election days in Italy. Yep, I said the next two days. Strike One. Then, they stop any kind of election advertising for a few weeks before the vote. Strike two. Then, they expect an 80% turn out of registered voters, and they’re complaining because 80% is considered low.

Strike three, you’re out America! Grab some pine, meat!

Tom Delay quits. And good riddance to the man who, among other things, asked the FAA to track a plane with Texas state Democratic legislatures when they protested his redistricting plan, and faces money-laundering charges. It apparently took him “months of prayer and contemplation” to make this decision.

My biggest concern? Who do the Democrats rally against now?