A Stitch in Haste

President Bush's political mastermind is certainly not his legal mastermind*:

Presidential adviser Karl Rove criticized a federal judge's order for an immediate end to the government's warrantless surveillance program, saying such a program might have prevented the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Rove said Wednesday the government should be free to listen if al-Qaida is calling someone within the U.S.

Of course, the government is free to listen in on al Qaeda — after it gets a warrant to do so (which would certainly be granted if it really is al Qaeda):

It is also rare for FISA warrant requests to be turned down by the court. Through the end of 2004, 18,761 warrants were granted, while just five were rejected (many sources say four). Fewer than 200 requests had to be modified before being accepted, almost all of them in 2003 and 2004. The four known rejected requests were all from 2003, and all four were partially granted after being resubmitted for reconsideration by the government.

It's not the wiretapping. It's the warrantless, stupid!

(*For that he has Harriet "Uniquely Qualified" Miers, remember?)