Can I use the "paperwork" excuse, too?

Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden, who was NSA director when the surveillance began and now serves as Bush's deputy director of national intelligence, said the secret- court process was intended for long-term surveillance of agents of an enemy power, not the current hunt for elusive terrorist cells.

"The whole key here is agility," he said at a White House briefing before Bush's news conference. According to Hayden, most warrantless surveillance conducted under Bush's authorization lasts just days or weeks, and requires only the approval of a shift supervisor. Hayden said getting retroactive court approval is inefficient because it "involves marshaling arguments" and "looping paperwork around."

Well sure, Mr. IRS agent, I knew there was this law on the books requiring me to file a tax return. But that is so pre-9/11. Those laws were not written to cover me. The clear intent of the recent tax cuts was to keep rich people form paying any taxes. If I stop paying taxes, I'll become a rich person much quicker, right?

And I didn't want to have to loop a bunch of paperwork around, so I just decided to ignore the law.

If you challenge me on it, you are just letting the terrorists win.