Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, tho' apparently with more up-to-date technology: The Bush White House is claiming it has "lost" emails relating to the US Attorney firing debacle.

Leahy: Bush Aides Lying About E-Mails
By LAURIE KELLMAN
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush's aides are lying about White House e-mails sent on a Republican account that might have been lost, a powerful Senate chairman said Thursday, vowing to subpoena those documents if the administration fails to cough them up.

"They say they have not been preserved. I don't believe that!" Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy shouted from the Senate floor."You can't erase e-mails, not today. They've gone through too many servers," said Leahy, D-Vt. "Those e-mails are there, they just don't want to produce them. We'll subpoena them if necessary."

Leahy also drew one key parallel to Watergate: "Like the famous 18-minute gap in the Nixon White House tapes, it appears likely that key documentation has been erased or misplaced. This sounds like the Administration's version of 'the dog ate my homework.'"

The best (worst) part of this whole scandal?

If the White House doesn't cooperate, Congress can cite them on contempt...except that the case would be tried by the US Attorney for D.C. -- who was conveniently appointed by Alberto Gonzalez...