Why does this send a shiver down my spine?

From the LA Times:

WASHINGTON — For Americans troubled by the prospect of federal agents eavesdropping on their phone conversations or combing through their Internet records, there is good news: A little-known board exists in the White House whose purpose is to ensure that privacy and civil liberties are protected in the fight against terrorism.

Someday, it might actually meet.

The problem here is not that the board who will determine whether civil liberties are being preserved has not met. The problem is that the board is controlled by the White House.