Much Ado About Nothing

I guess some on the left are going nuts over this:

Since 2001, the Central Intelligence Agency has developed plans to dispatch small teams overseas to kill senior Qaeda terrorists, according to current and former government officials.

The plans remained vague and were never carried out, the officials said, and Leon E. Panetta, the C.I.A. director, canceled the program last month.

I guess we are all supposed to be freaked out that Dick Cheney kept it from Congress. Well, there's a good reason right in that second paragraph there, "The plans remained vague...". Why would Democrats and the loony left be upset about not being informed of a concept that probably didn't reach the level of half-baked? Answer: For the Democrats it's a chance to play politics with national security and try to smear Dick Cheney with breaking the law. For the loony left it is a chance to indulge in their bizarre and paranoid fantasies about their favorite bogeyman, Dick Cheney of course.

Let's quickly look at the law. TITLE 50 > CHAPTER 15 > SUBCHAPTER III > § 413 says:

(a) Reports to Congressional committees of intelligence activities and anticipated activities

(1) The President shall ensure that the congressional intelligence committees are kept fully and currently informed of the intelligence activities of the United States, including any significant anticipated intelligence activity as required by this subchapter.

(2) Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed as requiring the approval of the congressional intelligence committees as a condition precedent to the initiation of any significant anticipated intelligence activity.

Note the "including any significant anticipated intelligence activity as required by this subchapter" in paragraph 1. Had the planning evolved into a workable and real program, one that was actually anticipated to be used, then the appropriate committees would need to be informed. If that Times story is accurate, and in this case it seems to be, then this is a story about nothing.