It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a government in want of information must be in possession of a warrant. Or, if one prefers to quote the Warren Court, as do critics of NSA surveillance and the Patriot Act: "Searches conducted outside the judicial process, without prior approval by judge…

SENATOR ARLEN SPECTER and other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have informed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that when he appears before them today to defend NSA wiretaps, they will have some pointed questions for him. Indeed, the questions will need to be sharp if the Senators hope to…