I'm pretty struck by news that Nancy Pelosi was informed that the government was wiretapping Jane Harman. This, it seems, is standard operating practice: According to the Post, "it is a 'tradition' for the top Democrat and Republican in the House to be alerted whenever a member is under surveillance using wiretaps or other methods." We don't know the exact date that Pelosi was informed of the wiretap, but we know it was a couple of years ago, which throws Pelosi's efforts to remove Harman from the chairmanship of the House Select Intelligence Committee into a new light. At the time, that fight was largely seen as Pelosi prosecuting a grudge against Harman. Now it seems possible that Pelosi was simply insulating the Party from a major embarrassment.