that is cool

According to the NSA talk at MIT last week, the "checksum" is formed by taking a 16-bit, fixed number (fixed in all chips) and encrypting it with the session key via some special form of skipjack.

And by doing that add silicon area and new algorithm? Instead of using one that already existed? Concern for Net bandwith ( 16 instead of 80 bits per session ) and stupidity is of cource noteworthy, but i personally think that they have got spy working there, who deliberately disrupts their work to an extent where they just must quit Clipper and say Oh, let us be friends and use DES :) JP from TTU.