President Bush Restricts Disclosures to the Congress
President Bush Restricts Disclosures to the Congress
The President perhaps writes better than he speaks. I found a well written, concise, superbly spelled and punctuated letter that he wrote in October of 2001 reminding his cabinet level officers to not release any classified or sensitive law enforcement information to Members of Congress. The executive order was put in place until further notice and was deemed crucial for purposes of National Security.
"...We have an obligation to protect military operational security, intelligence sources and methods, and sensitive law enforcement investigations." the President opined. Well, that was then.
I suppose that since the presidential memorandum only extends to Disclosures to Congress, disclosures to friendly members of the press does not in itself constitute a material breach of White House policy as spelled out in the October 5th memorandum. Still, it seems in bad form.
According to an August 1st Newsweek Article, the classified State Department memo that specifically mentioned "Valerie Wilson" as being with the CIA had that particular passage marked "snf" meaning "Secret No Foreign". The material was not to be shared with any foreign national. We now know that somehow this information wafted mysteriously through the air within the pressurized cabin of Air Force One and caused a few members of the press and the Presidential entourage to erupt in fits of coughing. The funny thing was how this particular contagion started getting passed around to people like Tim Russert and Robert Novak who were not even on the plane.
It is a good thing that months later Attorney General Albert Gonzales (then serving as White House Counsel), and Chief of Staff Andrew Card worked to sanitize the outbreak. If they hadn't acted quickly and decisively in the hours that they did, it is no telling how many people within the general population would have become infected with secret information.
That is not the kind of thing you want happening in a time of war.
Maybe it is time now for the President to dictate another memoradum to staff to restrict disclosures to members of the media. It is like telling the local loudmouth at the bar that you're dating a stripper over in the next county. Word is going to get around. Telling the media things you do not even want Congress to know is simply wrongheaded.
The President need not fuss or fret over the wording much. He should simply state that anyone caught doing such a thing can pack up and leave--"Git yer shit, and git!" in the Texan parlance. Their last paycheck will be in the mail.
The President perhaps writes better than he speaks. I found a well written, concise, superbly spelled and punctuated letter that he wrote in October of 2001 reminding his cabinet level officers to not release any classified or sensitive law enforcement information to Members of Congress. The executive order was put in place until further notice and was deemed crucial for purposes of National Security.
"...We have an obligation to protect military operational security, intelligence sources and methods, and sensitive law enforcement investigations." the President opined. Well, that was then.
I suppose that since the presidential memorandum only extends to Disclosures to Congress, disclosures to friendly members of the press does not in itself constitute a material breach of White House policy as spelled out in the October 5th memorandum. Still, it seems in bad form.
According to an August 1st Newsweek Article, the classified State Department memo that specifically mentioned "Valerie Wilson" as being with the CIA had that particular passage marked "snf" meaning "Secret No Foreign". The material was not to be shared with any foreign national. We now know that somehow this information wafted mysteriously through the air within the pressurized cabin of Air Force One and caused a few members of the press and the Presidential entourage to erupt in fits of coughing. The funny thing was how this particular contagion started getting passed around to people like Tim Russert and Robert Novak who were not even on the plane.
It is a good thing that months later Attorney General Albert Gonzales (then serving as White House Counsel), and Chief of Staff Andrew Card worked to sanitize the outbreak. If they hadn't acted quickly and decisively in the hours that they did, it is no telling how many people within the general population would have become infected with secret information.
That is not the kind of thing you want happening in a time of war.
Maybe it is time now for the President to dictate another memoradum to staff to restrict disclosures to members of the media. It is like telling the local loudmouth at the bar that you're dating a stripper over in the next county. Word is going to get around. Telling the media things you do not even want Congress to know is simply wrongheaded.
The President need not fuss or fret over the wording much. He should simply state that anyone caught doing such a thing can pack up and leave--"Git yer shit, and git!" in the Texan parlance. Their last paycheck will be in the mail.
LINK
posted by obelus at 7/26/2005 03:51:00 PM
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