I think the big lesson to take away from this is that the ends don’t always justify the means. Too often the left ignores this point and I hate to see somebody who is associated with the right engage in illegal activities, even if he did think that by doing so he could get his hands on juicy, even damning information.

Well, as far as I’m concerned, a terrorist has no rights. But yes, a corrupt senator, as loathsome as he or she is, is in a different playing field altogether.

Some examination reveals that the charges are “tampering with the phone system.” There is no mention of “wire-tapping” in them anywhere. Additionally, although a paper reported a quote by an official who would prefer to remain anonymous that they arrested someone connected to O’Keefe who had a “possible listening device” in a car a few blocks away, that information also does not appear anywhere in the charges.

If O’Keefe did indeed think he could wire-tap a Senator in broad-daylight while openly phoning it all on his cell phone, then he’s gone off the deep end and deserves to face justice; hoever, there have already been some “facts” made up by the media reporting on this case.

At this point, there just isn’t enough information for anyone to know for sure.

According to the news release Tuesday and an affidavit by FBI Special Agent Steven Rayes, who is based in New Orleans, Basel and Flanagan attempted to gain access to Landrieu’s office Monday while posing as telephone repairmen.

The two men were “each dressed in blue denim pants, a blue work shirt, a light green fluorescent vest, a tool belt and a construction-style hard hat when they entered the Hale Boggs Federal Building,” the release noted.

After they entered the building, the two men told a staffer in Landrieu’s office they were telephone repairmen, according to the release and Rayes’ affidavit. They asked for — and were granted — access to the reception desk’s phone system.

O’Keefe, who had been waiting in the office before the pair arrived, recorded their actions with a cell phone, said the affidavit by Rayes.

Flanagan and Basel later requested access to a telephone closet, claiming they needed to perform work on the main phone system, the release and affidavit stated.

According to Rayes’ affidavit, the two men went to a U.S. General Services Administration office on another floor and requested access to the main phone system. A GSA employee then asked for their credentials, and the two men said they left them in their vehicle, the affidavit said.

All four men have admitted their roles in the operation to federal agents, Rayes’ affidavit said.

If convicted, the four men would each face a possible maximum penalty of a $250,000 fine and 10 years in prison, according to the news release.

How quickly the conservative icons fall.

Waiting for chris wallace to take back calling this guy a power player.

He’s not a journalist, he’s a wannabe.

I’ve been in the jury pool in Orleans Parish. Half of the jury will be wearing ACORN shirts. These boys are in for a world of hurt.

Why? They’ll be disqualified.

I take it you’ve never been to voir dire in Orleans. You can only disqualify so many, and they system will work against them. It’ll be like trying to seat a fair jury for Hitler in Tel Aviv.

It now appears that the “bugging” charge was a reporter’s invention.