Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

I got a letter from Howard Dean today.  You probably did, too.  Read it, then take the recommended action.

The Bush Administration has been notoriously reluctant to comply with FOIA requests from citizens, organizations, professionals, journalists, and, of course, Democrats.

Nevertheless, this time, I think many might join the effort to uncover just what has been happening in the country since Bush began domestic spying.

Here's part of Dean's appeal, and a handy-dandy link:

I have asked our General Counsel to draft a Freedom of Information Act request for the relevant legal opinions and memos written by that office. Since the program's existence is no longer a secret, these memos should be released -- Americans deserve to know exactly what authority this administration believes it has.

You can help pressure the administration to release these documents by signing on to our Freedom of Information Act request in the next 48 hours.

In his appeal, Dean uses a bi-partisan strategy:

Even Bob Barr, who was one of the most conservative members of Congress and the first member to file articles of impeachment against President Clinton, said:

"What's wrong with it is several-fold. One, it's bad policy for our government to be spying on American citizens through the National Security Agency. Secondly, it's bad to be spying on Americans without court oversight. And thirdly, it's bad to be spying on Americans apparently in violation of federal laws against doing it without court order."

We need to know whether George Bush went beyond the limits of the law -- and whether he and his administration believe that there are any limits at all. Please join this important request.