Bush Administration Just Now Setting Standards On What Constitutes Reportable Suspicious Behavior

by Steve

Four years after 9/11, the Bush Administration is just now getting around to setting standards for the reporting of suspicious activity by Cabinet departments. In the wake of the NSA spying mess and stories about how the Department of Defense was maintaining information on Americans that should have been purged, as well as stories that various agencies were monitoring peace groups, Walter Pincus in today’s Post writes that the administration is setting standards for what constitutes reportable activity and what makes its way to the White House.

It’s an interesting story for several reasons. First, it confirms that four years after 9/11 standards were never put in place to begin with and therefore much information on Americans here at home was reported and sent to the White House. Is it possible that this will be the typical White House defense for its spying upon Americans and specifically domestic opponents and the media these last four years: we were simply sloppy and didn’t have standards in place? Sure, that should work.