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this is a very technical program and it's clear as we know more about it that it involves
you know some of the the very high-tech stuff that the NSA's computers are capable
of doing as far as data mining
signals going across a fiber-optic line and how
internet packet data works and
it's something that you need to have a great deal of technical expertise really to grasp even
what it means and its implications
but the white house would not allow
the four members of congress
who were getting these briefings to
consult anyone who knew about computers on their staff or elsewhere
or even to talk about it with other members of congress as a condition of this briefing
so you have this guy who is in his seventies who probably doesn't even use email being
you know and this
information is presented to him and he has no idea what what to do with it and eventually in
frustration he hand writes a letter to *** cheney and
copies it again for himself and puts it in his crc because his secretary could not even see what he was writing
correct and he couldn't write it on his computer because then there would be a record of it on his computer
saying i have received this briefing I'm totally concerned that i have no idea what you're talking about but
it sounds
%uh it sounds a little edgy to me it sounds kinda like
that total information awareness program that admiral poindexter was doing that we tried to
shut you know data mining everyone's electronic footprint
and %uh but I I I'm incapable of understanding this without some help and that means I can't
perform oversight i don't know what to do and i'm gonna write this letter and
eventually maybe this letter will be of use
so after the new york times is
in december two thousand five reveals that program
and the white house says well we briefed congress what are they complaining about he pulls
out this letter to say your briefing was
%uh a paper
a paper tiger
and totally without substance
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