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As I understand the sequence of events, there was a change of personnel at the Office of Legal Counsel in the DOJ. Before that, based on advice of the OLC, DOJ had been certifying the NSA program pursuant to the direction of the executive order from Bush that authorized the program, which required recertification every 45 days that the program complied with applicable law. The new head of OLC, Jack Goldsmith, had a new review done of the program as it was being actually run and evolving, and his research indicated that there had to be changes before the DOJ could continue giving the certification. In the meantime, the 45 days was running out. Ashcroft was in the hospital and had authorized Comey to act as AG while he was out. Comey wouldn't sign the certification if Goldsmith told him that there ha to be changes in order to bring the program into compliance. Gonzalez and Card then decided to go around Comey and Ashcroft wouldn't let them. That was the hospital scene and it was followed by Comey's insistence that Olson leave his dinner party to be a witness to his meeting with Card and Gonzalez, with Bush finally intervening to order that the changes be instituted and the program continue.
That's the story as I understand it. Most of the details are classified, obviously, so we don't know precisely what the problem was that required changes, or what the changes were. But it sure looks like the DOJ people took their jobs seriously and that Gonzalez and Card were acting like political hacks.
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