Despite what amount of bright light that we can shine on the Pentagon's whitewash, in the end, we will hear some names thrown out there by these active duty military personnel in regards to
who killed this program that uses open source information to derive information on terrorists.
Someone needs to get fired for letting Al Qaeda operatives go free after being exposed by Able Danger. These hearings should provide actionable information to that effect.
Here's the link to the AP press release on this -- anyone wanting history on this, please see Sherlock Google's excellent diaries on this subject -- this diary is just to let everyone know that the public testimony is back on per Arlen Specter's announcement to this effect.
There is some disconnect and the hearings could get cancelled again.
Compare this:
A Senate committee said Friday that the Pentagon has dropped its refusal to let five people with knowledge of a highly classified intelligence program testify about it publicly, but a Pentagon spokesman said it remained opposed to such testimony in an open hearing.
In a news release, Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the five will testify at an open hearing Oct. 5.
To this:
Asked about Specter's announcement, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said, "Our position with respect to this has not changed. Our concerns have not changed." He said the Pentagon has not agreed to permit the five to testify in public, although discussions with the committee were continuing.
And this:
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Wednesday, after Specter's committee held a hearing on the matter, that the Pentagon had offered to provide witnesses for a closed hearing but that the committee insisted it be open.
"Therefore the department declined to participate in an opening hearing on a classified matter," Rumsfeld told reporters. "We have to obey the laws with respect to security classifications."
I personally wouldn't want my name to pop up in such a database but I also don't have a problem with something that is effective in hunting down islamist extremists in our midst. I have a sinking feeling that the next terrorists in America will be homegrown to get around Able Danger databases (if in fact "American persons" are exempted).