O. C. Register found a smoking gun, sort of

In an editorial today, the Orange County Register says it found something in court documents of a case involving Quest Communications that suggests the government may have pressured Quest to provide customer call records to the NSA before 9/11. The problem is, the "something" was a mere allegation which the government denied. The Register admits it may mean nothing. So why base an editorial on it?

The Register is anxious to prove that the Bush administration violated the law or the constitution when it authorized the NSA's electronic surveillance program and claims that Americans' telephone calls and e-mail messages may have been intercepted without a warrant. But no American has thus far said his or her calls or messages have been intercepted. Until that happens and is proven to have happened, the Register and others are tilting at windmills.