ANN ALTHOUSE ON WHY THE DATA-MINING SCANDAL LEAKED: “I suspect it was someone who wanted to distract us from the IRS scandal (and other scandals) so that the scandal of the moment would be one that’s about Bush.”

How cynical we’ve all become, in this age of Hope And Change. But then: “Here’s where the other Obama scandals come in. How do we know the government is dutifully concentrating on national security — fighting terrorists and not political enemies? That kind of mistrust matters, but it’s not specific to the NSA program. It undermines everything government does. What would you like government to stop doing now that you can’t trust it with anything?”

UPDATE: More thoughts on trust.