So now the media and the Democrats are all aflutter over "domestic spying" as reported in the New York Times. Problem is, no one is interested in putting the claims up against any type of context. First, let us see what the Times is up to here:
The New York Times is under fire for not disclosing that a front-page story on domestic spying by the National Security Agency was excerpted from a future book by the reporter.
Media watchdogs questioned the timing of the article about the NSA's warrantless eavesdropping on suspected terrorists in the U.S. The Times said it held James Risen's story a year over White House fears of endangering ongoing probes.
But what it didn't write in yesterday's article or in a follow-up statement by editor Bill Keller was that Risen had written a book scheduled to hit stores in January.
Internet columnist Matt Drudge noted that Risen turned in the manuscript for "State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush administration" three months ago.
Free Press confirmed plans to publish a book by Risen in January.
{http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/58940.htm}
So this reporter wrote a book on these claims, due to be released within weeks, and yet the Times publishes this excerpt as "breaking news", without even a mention of the cross-interests that may be in play here. I give James Risen credit; this will give him book sales exponentially higher than what may have been expected. Amazing that the Times either didn't know this; or did know it and chose to let it slide in order to concoct yet another "scandal".
And of course timing is key here; this t-storm in a teapot serves to distract people from the fact that the Iraqi people held an amazingly successful election just the other day; with turnout and inter-party co-operation that the American electorate can only dream about. What to do when there is good news? Why, smear Bush, of course!
It didn't work with the "Guard Memos", or the Plame "scandal" (for which, ironically, the only person to serve prison time was a Times reporter); and it won't work here, either.
But it will harm our national security - their reporting on the alleged "secret prisons" overseas further ruptured international co-operation on the War on Terror; now the Patriot Act, which has forstalled terrorist attacks on American soil consistantly since 9/11, may be in trouble as well. May God damn the Times for doing everything they can to harm this nation's well-being in order to wrongfully defame a sitting president. Al-Jazeera can only sit back and watch in admiration...
And while Congess claimed to be "Shocked, shocked", there is this:
President Bush said Saturday he personally has authorized a secret eavesdropping program in the U.S. more than 30 times since the Sept. 11 attacks and he lashed out at those involved in publicly revealing the program
"This is a highly classified program that is crucial to our national security," he said in a radio address delivered live from the White House's Roosevelt Room.
Angry members of Congress have demanded an explanation of the program, first revealed in Friday's New York Times and whether the monitoring by the National Security Agency violates civil liberties
Without identifying specific lawmakers, Bush said congressional leaders have been briefed more than a dozen times on the program's activities.
The president also said the intelligence officials involved in the monitoring receive extensive training to make sure civil liberties are not violated.
Appearing angry at times during his eight-minute address, Bush left no doubt that he will continue authorizing the program.
{http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051217/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush}
By all that is reasonable, isn't it time to depose the Times reporter, find out his source, and prosecute them for leaking top secret confidential information in a time of war? It is a freakin' felonious criminal offense!
{For more on this take see Powerline post here: http://powerlineblog.com/archives/012571.php}
But no doubt the Democrats will jump on this new "spying" bandwagon as a political tool to bash the president; consequences to our nation's security and our soldiers in the field be damned. But please, let us remember, these doomsayers have been wrong, wrong, wrong...consistantly!
Ralph Peters sticks it to those of little faith:
As American public opinion turned and growled and complained and as American politicians and thinkers scurried about in search of a place to hide, the people of Iraq and the developing political class of Iraq began taking a firm hold of their own future.
While Iraqis braved the terrorists, many Americans trembled before them.
"We can't win in Iraq," shouted Howard Dean, who might have confused Iraq with Iowa, where he couldn't win.
"We've become the enemy," yawped John Murtha — who later told Time magazine that he probably would have said nicer things about the war and its prospects if President Bush had invited him over to the White House for a coke and a few hands of canasta the way his father did.
Cindy Sheehan, mother of a slain soldier, moved to Bush's front yard for the month of August and was treated like a heroine by the media . . . until she called both Hillary Clinton and John McCain warmongers — and you can't criticize either Hillary Clinton or John McCain.
And you know what? It's all nonsense and flapdoodle, all of it. All the talk about Iraq inside the United States in the year 2005 has been meaningless.
{http://www.nypost.com/seven/12162005/postopinion/opedcolumnists/58690.htm}
Let's remember that, the next time the Dems or the Times tries to throw our nation under the bus to score a few cheap politcal points...
UPDATE: Gateway Pundit links to the text of President Bush's defense of the NSA's domestic evesdropping...strong words, delivered live...money quote from W.:
As the 9/11 Commission pointed out, it was clear that terrorists inside the United States were communicating with terrorists abroad before the September the 11th attacks, and the commission criticized our nation’s inability to uncover links between terrorists here at home and terrorists abroad. Two of the terrorist hijackers who flew a jet into the Pentagon, Nawaf al Hamzi and Khalid al Mihdhar, communicated while they were in the United States to other members of al Qaeda who were overseas. But we didn’t know they were here, until it was too late.
The authorization I gave the National Security Agency after September the 11th helped address that problem in a way that is fully consistent with my constitutional responsibilities and authorities...
And our friend in Missouri points out:
George Bush is not one to speak in symbols or mince words. His message today leaves you with the impression that "W" is more than miffed... Bush won't let this national security leak go that easy. He stated today the information was "improperly reported". Look for an investigation into this leak. "W" isn't letting this one go! And, this of course, is very bad news for the New York Times.
Link here: http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2005/12/will-gray-lady-leakers-get-frog.html
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