The promise of change appears to be more form than substance. The same lower-level staffers, contractors, and other in the homeland defense-intelligence community who were abusing their authority under Bush are still there.

There's been some talk about the changes. The problem is the lower-level people made decisions on the back of a very abusive, permissive President.

Some mid-level managers may have been removed, but the lower-level people are still there.

The lower-level people hope to continue with the same flawed, abusive policies, but find hew reasons.

We voted for change. That meant -- or should have mean -- a new philosophy: Yes, Virginia, we will respect the Constitution. But that isn't happening.

There were some flawed decisions made on the back of dubious information. Rather than go after those in the HD-IC community who provided the dubious information, the lower-level personnel are looking for new ways to justify the same abuses and illegal activity.

We need some federal oversight working in concert with the new President to clean pu the mess the lower-level people in the HD-IC community have created. Without change from within, the public should discuss what must be lawfully done to protect the Constitution.

It shouldn't take this much work after electing a new President. But it does.