The FISA wiretap warrants had a 72-hour retroactive availability.

This has been mentioned on many other blogs and websites, but I feel it's much too important to ignore, especially since every conservative pundit and every right-wing blogger has neglected to mention this. I don't know if this is due to ignorance or dishonesty, but either way, it really needs to be corrected.

Here's why this is important. The government basically gets three full days to eavesdrop on a subject before they have to file for a warrant. And when they finally get around to filing said warrant, it has (if past history is to be believed) around a 99.99% chance of going through. Ponder that for a moment. How hard is it to work within these guidelines? 72 hours of free wiretap authority and a court that's practically a rubber stamp? You'd have to try to break the law under these circumstances.

And yet, people are defending this. Why? That's not a rhetorical question. I really wish someone would tell me.