More Than a 72-Hour Grace Period

Crooks and Liars catches Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales giving the Senate Judiciary Committee a history lesson, saying his earlier testimony had given examples of how "President Washington, President Lincoln, President Wilson, President Roosevelt have all authorized electronic surveillance on a far broader scale."

Even if Washington did authorize wiretaps, the impact on civil liberties would have been minimal, since he'd have to wait about 175 years for the transcripts.