Plausible deniability, 2004

As part of their week-kneed deal with the White House, the members of the 9/11 Commission not only agreed to have Shrub and The Big Dick Cheney put on a Frick and Frack routine and not be under oath (and thus are "being interviewed" rather than "testifying"), they also agreed that there would be no transcript and no recording of the session, Wednesday's New York Times reports.

Instead, the Commission is limited to a single "note-taker," while the White House brings along one of its own.

Legal scholars said the lack of an official transcript would give the White House some deniability and make it more difficult to use the president's words as evidence in a future suit against the government.

"It gives them more maneuverability in case someone slips up or says something he regrets," Stephen Gillers, a law professor at New York University, said.

And do you imaging for one little tiny flaming second that they will shy away from lying through their filthy teeth if one of them slips and admits to something they shouldn't? And that they hadn't already thought of that possibility when they nixed a transcript?