Andy, I think we know why, from reading the tea leaves, the Defense Department has refused to allow the Able Danger analysts from testifying. We have reason to believe that the data-mining project ended up “collecting” names of high-ranking American officials in relation to other analytical efforts it was making — in particular, Condi Rice and William Perry and the issue of Chinese spying in the United States. Such “collection” not only smacks of McCarthy-era list-making, it is also illegal. The legal problems encountered here may have been the reason it was shuttered so decisively by Gen. Schoomaker when he became head of special ops, and why all the materials Able Danger generated were ordered shredded. Maybe the DOD is being unnecessarily cautious about this matter, given that it’s several years old. But when people find themselves before congressional committees in front of open mics, there’s no telling what they might say — and what names might emerge from their mouths that could cause no end of diplomatic and conspiratorial damage.