Ashcroft Tells of Surveillance Disputes

House Panel Hears Of Battle Within Administration...sort of.

Reyes declined to detail the specifics of Ashcroft's testimony but said the former attorney general, now in private practice, gave the panel "very candid advice" as it considers drafting new legislation that could rewrite FISA. There was "robust and enormous debate" within the Bush administration about the post-Sept. 11, 2001, program, he said.

But another member of the panel, Rep. Rush D. Holt (D-N.J.), said that Ashcroft did not give detailed explanations of what he was so concerned about in 2004, more than two years after the program's inception. "He gave long, rambling, nonspecific answers," Holt said.

With that, let's take another peek into our

*Vote Republican!* snappy Campaign-omercial file:

A wiretap requires a court order. Kiiiiiidding! We genuinely want to hear what you, the little people, have to say! Tell ya what, we'll go to just about any lengths to do just that! Including strong-arming an ex-Attorney General in intensive care to do things our way! And just to push the point, we've decided to share some awfully special secrets with our neighbors! Eavesdropping is now available in Mexico! Olé! Vote Republican: The party that really listens to you.