From Rockefeller's office:

Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today urged his colleagues in the Senate not to support legislation codifying the NSA warrantless surveillance program until the Congress is fully briefed and can answer critical questions about the programs effectiveness and legality. ...

“As one of the few members who have received the most detailed information to date, I can say that the Administration has not been able to document convincingly the benefits of the program,” Rockefeller said, adding, “I support all efforts to track down terrorists wherever they are – using all of our best technology and resources. But, it must be both effective and legal, and it must be conducted in a way that protects the rights of all Americans.”

“For the past six months, I have been requesting without success specific details about the program, including: how many terrorists have been identified; how many arrested; how many convicted; and how many terrorists have been deported or killed as a direct result of information obtained through the warrantless wiretapping program.

“I can assure you, not one person in Congress has the answers to these and many other fundamental questions,” Rockefeller stated emphatically.

What explains the administration's refusal to date to brief apparently anyone in Congress on metrics to measure the success of this program? Principle, or they don't have as much to show for it needing to bypass FISA, or something else? More here. Update: White House-proposed wiretap legislation passes committee.

Posted by Laura at September 13, 2006 06:09 PM