Hooray for Alan Specter

The Republican head of the Senate Judiciary Committee has been vocally protesting the White House's warrantless wiretapping program, and his efforts are finally paying off. In a letter, Cheney told Specter that he was willing to work with Congress on legislation to control the President's intelligence-gathering activities. Importantly, this is a step back from the absurdly strong view of executive power the Justice Department has been pushing for the last several years; Cheney's acquiesence is an admission, albeit a small one, that the President cannot act with the impunity he has claimed. Then again, let's see what the law they pass looks like before we start dancing in the streets....