Only hard-core die-hard progressive liberal communists would dare to try and defend the indefensible.
No exceptions with this story thread.
New York Times Journalist Defends National Security Leaks.
zbacku
2012/06/11 03:13:11
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By Morgan Little
June 10, 2012, 10:22 a.m.
Two stories published by the New York Times, whichexposed the extent of U.S. involvement in cyber attacksagainst Iran and the White House’s secret 'Kill List,' have sparked scrutiny over the last week amid allegations that administration officials had leaked classified information for political gain.
The debate continued Sunday as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) reiterated calls for a special prosecutor to take charge of leak investigations and as a reporter who wrote one of the stories said he doubted that any politically motivated leaks were involved.
David Sanger, chief Washington correspondent for the New York Times, appeared on CNN’s “Reliable Sources” to defend his reporting on U.S. involvement in deploying theStuxnet computer virus against Iran.
Sanger said that during 18 months of reporting for his book “Confront and Conceal: Obama’s Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power,” he obtained information from the ground up. He said he had serious doubts as to whether there were any political motivations behind the leaks.
“Did I talk to a lot of people in the administration? Of course,” he said, as would be expected when writing a book about national security.
Sanger contended that how Obama conducts himself in the theater of international military action is key for the public to know, and is a necessary story for the media to report on, regardless of the secrecy associated with national security issues.
“Can we debate them out in the open? Of course,” he said.
McCain dismissed Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder’s appointment of two federal prosecutors to oversee the investigation.
“Mr. Holder’s credibility with Congress, there is none. We continue to have this problem with him withholding information on Fast and Furious, which resulted in the killing of a border patrol agent in Arizona. He is close to being held in contempt,” McCain said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House committee investigating the Fast and Furious operation – an effort to track gun purchases by Mexican drug cartels that lost track of many of the weapons – has proposed holding Holder in contempt. Democrats have dismissed the effort as political grandstanding.
“This information had to have come from the administration. It couldn’t have come from anywhere else,” McCain said, referring to details in Sanger’s book. “The president may not have done it himself, but he’s certainly responsible as commander in chief.”
The debate continued Sunday as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) reiterated calls for a special prosecutor to take charge of leak investigations and as a reporter who wrote one of the stories said he doubted that any politically motivated leaks were involved.
David Sanger, chief Washington correspondent for the New York Times, appeared on CNN’s “Reliable Sources” to defend his reporting on U.S. involvement in deploying theStuxnet computer virus against Iran.
Sanger said that during 18 months of reporting for his book “Confront and Conceal: Obama’s Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power,” he obtained information from the ground up. He said he had serious doubts as to whether there were any political motivations behind the leaks.
“Did I talk to a lot of people in the administration? Of course,” he said, as would be expected when writing a book about national security.
Sanger contended that how Obama conducts himself in the theater of international military action is key for the public to know, and is a necessary story for the media to report on, regardless of the secrecy associated with national security issues.
“Can we debate them out in the open? Of course,” he said.
McCain dismissed Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder’s appointment of two federal prosecutors to oversee the investigation.
“Mr. Holder’s credibility with Congress, there is none. We continue to have this problem with him withholding information on Fast and Furious, which resulted in the killing of a border patrol agent in Arizona. He is close to being held in contempt,” McCain said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House committee investigating the Fast and Furious operation – an effort to track gun purchases by Mexican drug cartels that lost track of many of the weapons – has proposed holding Holder in contempt. Democrats have dismissed the effort as political grandstanding.
“This information had to have come from the administration. It couldn’t have come from anywhere else,” McCain said, referring to details in Sanger’s book. “The president may not have done it himself, but he’s certainly responsible as commander in chief.”
Read More: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-new-yor...
Top Opinion
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CUDDLY BUT STILL CRABBY 2012/06/11 03:21:05
If the American public was made aware of everything our government was doing, I don't think there would be anyone happy with what they found. And that is a very bad thing. Keep working to make the public aware of what is going on behind our backs. Take the power back.
Amendment 4 - Search and Seizure. Ratified 12/15/1791.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
It is considered treason in some regards.
The media benefited by big headlines as a result of these leaks plus they reveal their own duplicity as they publicly condemned several in the Bush administration for revealing the name of a low level CIA operative when in reality it was Richard Armitage that spilled the beans.
The media, especially in NY, will continue to blindly protect this president until someone breeches security and another attack occurs. Then they will blame Bush.
Still, it's kind of funny, all in all, that suddenly the Republicans are so enthusiastic about holding the Commander in Chief responsible for things he couldn't possibly have any personal connection to, while everyone still remembers vividly how the Right Wing reacted when the VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, WITH THE FULL KNOWLEDGE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, LEAKED THE NAME OF A COVERT CIA OPERATIVE FOR PURELY POLITICAL PURPOSES. No concerns about national security. No worries about the numerous covert operations across the globe that were put in jeopardy. Not a peep when the President gave a "get out of jail free" card to the one man actually convicted in the scandal.
Hypocrisy is a proud member of the G.O.P.
The Nuremberg trials saw Nazi guards being prosecuted for their part in war crimes. The defence that was used was "I was only following orders".
It was decided that this was no defence under the law and that the individual had both the right and the duty not to follow orders that were morally repulsive.
So why do we persecute and prosecute those who follow their consciences?
Private Manning thought that the kidnapping of foreign citizens from their homes and famillies in the middle of the night, transporting them in secret to a detention centre outside of any jurisdiction and then torturing them was morally wrong.
The fact that these people were held without being charged or tried for years is a public shame - even if they had been guilty of any wrongdoing (and many have had to be realeased without charge).
The fact that the first trial has started without jury and in secret has not gone unnoticed by the rest of the world, How do you think they are judging us by this behaviour?
The only way that we can hold the moral high ground is by not stooping to the levels the Nazi's, Stalin, and every tinpot dictator that this planet has had to suffer.
No exceptions with this story thread.