I confess I'd been skeptical. But it seems now that Congress may actually have perfected the self-writing conference committee provision. (I'm told the CIA had been testing the technology for some time; but go-getters at the Pentagon decided to press it in to actual service.) According to CNN, Rep. Istook's deputy chief of staff Micah Leydorf says that neither he nor Istook had even seen the provision. Rather, it was added at the full committee level.

That would be somewhat in contrast to Sen. Frist's statement that Rep. Istook had the language inserted in the bill as well as what at least seemed like Rep. Istook's admission that he had had the language inserted.

Meanwhile, Rep. Istook wants all you privacy girlie-men to calm down about the whole thing: "It may get the media's attention when someone makes a wild claim, but it's time for everyone to calm down. There's no conspiracy here."