Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on her request to the Director of National Intelligence to declassify a letter she wrote several years ago to the Bush Administration expressing concerns about the activities of the National Security Agency.

"When I learned several years ago that the National Security Agency had been authorized to conduct the activities that President Bush referred to in his December 17 radio address, I expressed my strong concerns in a classified letter to the Administration and later verbally.

"Today, in an effort to shed light on my concerns, I requested that the Director of National Intelligence quickly declassify my letter and the Administration's response to it and make them both available to the public.

"The President must have the best possible intelligence to protect the American people. That intelligence, however, must be produced in a manner consistent with our Constitution and our laws, and in a manner that reflects our values as a nation to protect the American people and our freedoms."

Commentary:
Why are letters like this classified in the first place? National security would be harmed by a US Congresswoman writing a letter of objection? Hardly. The letters were classified so Bush and Cheney could go on national TV and lie about them giving their support to their crimes. If Pelosi has a copy of her letter, she should release it. Rockefeller did.

Trusting Bush with national secrets is already a standing joke.