As a judge strikes down parts of an Arizona police-state practice excoriated by the feds, the feds seek to do what? Expand a police-state practice of their own.

The administration wants to add just four words – “electronic communication transactional records” – to a list of items that the law says the FBI may demand without a judge’s approval. Government lawyers say this category of information includes the addresses to which an Internet user sends e-mail; the times and dates e-mail was sent and received; and possibly a user’s browser history. It does not include, the lawyers hasten to point out, the “content” of e-mail or other Internet communication.

“Our biggest concern is that an expanded NSL power might be used to obtain Internet search queries and Web histories detailing every Web site visited and every file downloaded,” said Kevin Bankston, a senior staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which has sued AT&T for assisting the Bush administration’s warrantless surveillance program.

Lovely. As Kevin Drum said, “You know if I’d wanted Dick Cheney as president I’d have just voted for him.”

For real. This ain’t the change I was hoping for. C’mon, you guys — knock this shit off. Don’t make me stop this blog and come back there.