Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Thursday asked for answers on an obscure Pentagon agency that included reports on student anti-war protests and other peaceful civilian demonstrations in a database meant to detect terrorist activities.

"Under what circumstances can peaceful protests at universities or by anti-war groups be monitored?" Feinstein, D-Calif., wrote in a letter to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

"What authorities, and under what regulations, do military counterintelligence units have to conduct investigations on U.S. persons?" she wrote.

The NSA story has completely snowed this one over. Instapundit posted an LA Times editorial by right winger "Max Boot" today exclaiming that it is totally irrelevant whether or not the NSA surveillance broke the law because there has been no political abuse of the surveillance system. We don't NEED laws 'cause we're the good guys! In fact, the Pentagon was caught running a program to surveil domestic political groups LAST MONTH!! Where have Glenn and Max been? Obviously somewhere with a lot of sand to stick their heads in.

AP Wire | 01/12/2006 | Senator questions Pentagon surveillance