In a commentary that began “Pat Roberts has a truly terrible idea,” married pundits Cokie and Steve Roberts blasted Kansas’ junior senator for reviving the proposal to criminalize getting or giving out classified information. “If Roberts succeeds, half the reporters in town would turn into lawbreakers,” they wrote of Washington, D.C. “Congressional staffers, scholars, lobbyists, trade association executives — they’d all be vulnerable as well.”
Not all leakers are noble or all leaks necessary, and journalists and others must deal with such information responsibly, especially in a time of war. But there is reason to doubt that this or any White House can be trusted to keep the public fully informed about its work, warts and all. Leaks lead to accountability. As the Robertses wrote, “We’re all better off with a press corps that’s free to pry and probe, investigate and irritate.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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16 Comments
When leaked information jeopardizes troop’s lives, military planning in the time of war or ordinary people, then there should be repercussions. When the leaked information concerns the freedom and security of Americans, then the public has a right to know. This whole thing came about because Bush overstepped his authority by secretly bypassing set rules on what he can and cannot do regarding intelligence gathering. He got caught. Now he wants to bite back. If congress has any backbone at all, Pat Roberts’ proposal will be tossed in the waste basket where it belongs. But I doubt if they do.
At some point, we need to distinguish the secrets our leaders keep from our enemies, from the ones our enemies already know, but the politicians want to keep from their constituents. We seem to have a lot more of the latter.A reporter’s job is seeing to it that the voters are adequately informed about what our leaders do, so we can know who needs to be reelected, and who gets the boot, or worse. When politicians can classify their misdeeds and mistakes “Top Secret,” we no longer have the informed electorate necessary for a “Government of the people, by the people and for the people,” and can kiss our way of life goodbye!
And where does re-writing history and the “reclassification” of documents in the national archives fit here? Bushco also thinks nothing of releasing previously classified documents, now conveniently unclassified, when it suits their PR needs.
But they want to use Pat to jail whistleblowers? Oh, I see, they are whistleblowers when they tell on the dems, but leakers when it comes to bushco and their crimes.
Bush must have the most polished boots in Texas, thanks to all of Pat’s licking. Wanna bet Pat shoots all his political capital covering for bush, and then retires?
Hubris. Pure Hubris.
I think those behind this idea will back off of it, once there is sufficient loudness from the various media.
Is Brownback the “senior” Senator and Roberts the “junior?”
I thought it was the other way around . . . hmmm.
I defer to Rhonda’s greater knowledge on the subject.
Would this be retro-active to the Plame leak?
Agree with PL – where was the Bush administration’s outrage when they were doing the leaking?
They just don’t get it! Clearly, the insider leaking the incompetence of Homeland Security in handling their own ‘white powder’ threat gives our enemies insights on just how incompetent and unprepared America is in handling terrorist threats. We all suffer!Senator Roberts should use the awesome power of his position post haste and find the Homeland Dept. mole, before they make known other vulnerabilities.
And, this leak coming while Pres. Bush is trying to close the port deal showes the partianship politics in play!
One question for Roberts though, Will we be using the same ‘Rent-A-Guard’ company that the Homeland Security uses, at our ports?
As to the reclassifying, Bush & Co. know that to re-write history you can’t have conflicting information in the public domain!
don’t care
Dammit you guys, what part of
neocon=patriot
whistleblowers=terrorist supporters
do you not understand!!!
Steve, I think newscasts of the Katrina response were all anyone needed to see to know our vulnerabilities.
I remember thinking at that time, that if I were a terrorist, my blackboard would have two words:
PORT CITIES!!!!!!
And BTW, does anyone think bin forgotten et al didnt know their phones and emails were being tapped? I imagine they knew ours were being tapped before we did!!
I guess that is why we havent caught ossama yet. We are just waiting for him to use his cell phone.
Roberts needs to find a new position out of government since he can not or will not do what is morally and ethically right. His cover-up of the Bush/Cheney Arab White House on the spying investigation today cements the fact that he is just a criminal. Afraid of the truth-whether it will support the Bush/Cheney Arab White House or will condemn them.
The arabs don’t control our government but their semitic cousins surely do!
Viva La Raza Blanco!!
Oh? Is it politically correct to say that the Israeli government runs our so call republick?