pondering

Okay, so we all know about this flap with the erased CIA interrogation tapes, but now things have gotten really ridiculous. Seems that the Justice Department, that is the part of the government in charge with upholding the laws of the land, is refusing to give information to Congress (the part of the government in charge of making the laws) the erasure of these recordings because they feel "that giving information to lawmakers could subject the inquiry to political pressures". This is, presumably, as opposed to political pressure from the White House.
So, anyway, two things occur to me:

1. How stupid do those who confirmed Mukasey as Attorney General feel now?

2. How convieniently timed is this revelation by the CIA, about inflamatory tapes that no longer exist (and so inflame passions only abstractly), which comes at a time when the White House is getting hammered by the press (hell, by everybody) over the NIE?