Had you wondered why Senator Schumer (D-NY) was so dogged in having the attorney general go back over a point from earlier testimony? One possible contributing factor was that, under Chairman Specter, there was no oath before testifying.

This time, the rehearsed dissembling was all the more pungent for the swearing.

"Fredo" (heh, heh, heh) drew a distinction between the surveillance scheme that the president was forced to accede existed (by leaked press accounts), and some other, unable to be talked about program(s). This wriggle became necessary when the breadth of dissent to warrantless wiretapping was discovered.

When contrasted to the "none" to which he had testified earlier, the story of the hospital visit to circumvent James Comey, when discovered, was evidence of what most would call "some." Turns out, adding up the list of threatened resignations within the civil service, it was "a lot." But just like Libby fingering Russert, the attorney general came back with a reason why that wasn't really lying.

He meant there was no dissent about the post-hospital incident program, the one which we are to believe was changed enough from the original to cover the prevarication. That dissent you found out about? Oh that was a different program, but we can't talk about it because it's top secret.

At The Anonymous Liberal blog, you can read a case for perjury which doesn't rely on broaching the nation's secrets.

In brief, using the president's own transcripts and mathematics, the program he was talking about (when he had to) was begun in 2001, shortly after 9/11.

If there are other programs which have been withheld from the statutory oversight of a few lawmakers, that would be troubling and newsworthy. But there is not a distinction with any meaningful difference to the program of warrantless wiretapping, over which many would have resigned, and some exculpatorily different program which saves Alberto's ass.

You don't have to violate the secrecy laws, as the now-infamous hospital visit may have done by discussing secrets in front of Mrs. Ashcroft, to arrive at a case for perjury by Gonzales. Thank you Anonymous Liberal, whoever you are.

It was a continuation, not an embarkation in a new direction, by the president's own words from the 12/17/05 radio address: "In the weeks following the terrorist attacks on our nation, I authorized the National Security Agency, consistent with U.S. law and the Constitution, to intercept the international communications of people with known links to al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations...I have reauthorized this program more than 30 times since the September the 11th attacks, and I intend to do so for as long as our nation faces a continuing threat from al Qaeda and related groups."

General Ashcroft should get the medal of freedom for statesmanship under sedation just as Congress needs to get the facts to expose governance by sedition.

These whack-jobs who say "there's no underlying crime" surely have not read the signing statements which pretend to lay a legal defense from future charges of disobeying the law or grant exemptions from future liability.

The underlying crime, if not found in the labyrinthine trail of neglect of the Constitution, could be an even worse species. It could be masked by these recurrent political battles which become divertissements.

Remember how poorly Leon Jaworski, Watergate prosecutor, was faring against executive privilege, until disclosure of the taping system. Then, the floodgates opened.

These days, the "Kenny Boys" are cashing in bigger than ever. Robin Wright at the Post discovered pending arms deals with six reputedly friendly Sunni countries on the eve of a visit by Secretary Rice. Just in case the bloodhounds lost what they were following, this should refresh the scent.

What are we looking at? Eighteen months of unholy cashings in? That could be an August parlor game to survive the summer recess. Now name the next hundred.

Pass the time while waiting on the Crawford surprise for this year. What will be the dramatic shift in US policy which will have lost its use for secrecy? Air strikes in Iran? Overthrow another dictator? Whatever it is, I'm sure if you look to the subtext, you'll find something of interest to the likes of the Carlyle Group, oil sheiks, weapons systems manufacturers, international bankers and others among the appreciated friends of Dubbya. The countdown clock is ticking and time is a-wasting.

Perfect timing. Justice is shut down for the remainder.