Another Canary Trap?

Could the USAToday story about the massive NSA data-mining of phone records be another Canary Trap? Or just a partisan shot at the NSA as General Michael Hayden is before the Senate for confirmation as the new head of the CIA.

Kevin Aylward over at Wizbang thinks that the Mary Mapes school of neutral journalism is back in business:

First, she's donated the maximum amount legally allowed ($2,000) to Dick Gephardt's campaign for the Democratic Presidential nomination in the 2004 election cycle.

Second, she's on TV crowing about the her confidential, unnamed sources.

And finally, the USAToday is pushing the "they didn't object" angle as a confirmation of their story. We all remember how well that worked out for CBS's John Roberts. Here's how the editors at USAToday phrased it, "On the night before the story was published, the newspaper described the story in detail to BellSouth, and the company did not challenge the newspaper's account."

Was it another Canary Trap instead? That would be my bet, but we won't know unless it comes to light in a trial.