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Henican Forgets There's a War On - Pinkerton Reminds Him
Fox & Friends Weekend/NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

Posted on 12/31/2005 5:06:54 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest

by Mark Finkelstein

December 31, 2005 - 07:56

In their heart of hearts, do the liberal media believe that when it comes to the struggle against terrorism, we are truly at war? To judge by liberal Newsday columnist Ellis Henican's performance on this morning's Fox & Friends Weekend, you would have to conclude not. Thankfully, fellow Newsday columnist Jim Pinkerton was there to remind his colleague of some cold, hard facts.

The topic was the Justice Department's investigation into the leaks behind the New York Times' publication of the highly-classified program of NSA surveillance of possible Al-Qaeda-related phone calls. Henican appeared utterly unphased by the way in which the Times' revelations could undermine national security and the fight against terrorism. His overwhelming focus was on the possible infringement of civil liberties. He brushed off the security leak in these terms:

"Frankly I'm much more interested in the government spying perhaps illegally on American citizens than trying to blame the people who revealed and told the truth about it. We see another example of trying to turn the attention onto the messenger and blame the people who stood up and told Americans what they need to know instead of those who are doing something that at the very least was highly questionable."

Pinkerton scored a direct hit with this response:

"There's also the issue of course of telling Al-Qaeda what they need to know."

Bada-bing!

Although Pinkerton's bullseye seemed to momentarily rock Henican, in no time he was back to his one-sided view of the struggle, in which the only real concern is for civil liberties, even at the price of intentionally undermining secret government security programs.

Henican: "Without confidential sources investigative reporters can't do their work."

Pinkerton reminded Henican of the flip-side of that formulation: "Without confidential methods, government can't do its work."

Henican could care less:

"[The government's] job is to keep the secret, our job is to tell the truth."

So even in a time of war, Henican views the media as the government's antagonist on national security matters. Wonder how during WWII the administration of liberal-icon FDR would have dealt with a Henican trying to undermine secret programs aimed at the enemy?


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; US: New York; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: buffoon; dipstick; ellishenican; foxfriends; jimpinkerton; nsa; raginlunatic; slimeyterrorist
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1 posted on 12/31/2005 5:06:55 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
"Frankly I'm much more interested in the government spying perhaps illegally on American citizens...

Really, Hennican? Where was all that indignation when Bubba was in office?

2 posted on 12/31/2005 5:09:57 AM PST by mewzilla (Property must be secured or liberty cannot exist. John Adams)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest

Sorry Lunatic Leftists. You all jettisoned this arguement when you thought you were going to "Get Bush" with the Plame-Wilson slander job. Don't get to NOW claim the leakers should be protected. Treason is NOT protected by the 1st Amendment.


3 posted on 12/31/2005 5:10:41 AM PST by MNJohnnie (We do not create terrorism by fighting the terrorists. We invite terrorism by ignoring them.--GWBush)
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To: mewzilla

Wonder how Henican would feel about leakers if someone leaked the Barrett Report?


4 posted on 12/31/2005 5:11:31 AM PST by mewzilla (Property must be secured or liberty cannot exist. John Adams)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
"[The government's] job is to keep the secret, our job is to tell the truth."

MSM, declared enemy of America.

5 posted on 12/31/2005 5:12:53 AM PST by atomicpossum (Replies should be as pedantic as possible. I love that so much.)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest

"[The government's] job is to keep the secret, our job is to tell the truth."

Fair enough. Find the government leakers who have broken their solumn oath to preserve classified information, try them for treason, and execute them, but do it humanely. We wouldn't want to be accused of being unkind.


6 posted on 12/31/2005 5:14:46 AM PST by Clioman
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
The egregious Ellis Henican, self-declared foe of American national security:


7 posted on 12/31/2005 5:15:24 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest (Watching the Today Show since 2002 so you don't have to.)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest

Please, somebody punch out this little creep, preferably on national TV. Soon.


8 posted on 12/31/2005 5:19:45 AM PST by elcid1970
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To: atomicpossum

give henican the assignment of getting the Barrett report out of thge deep freeze.


9 posted on 12/31/2005 5:20:29 AM PST by gusopol3
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To: mewzilla
"Frankly I'm much more interested in the government spying perhaps illegally on American citizens...

I wish I could remember who it was I saw handle this statement the following way (I think it was Cheney), but I loved it. Cheney responded something like, "Spying on whom?" The reply, "American citizens." Cheney asked, "Which American citizens," forcing the questioner to admit that it was American citizens who are in league with Al Qaeda.

That's the way this conversation should always be handled. Force the questioner to admit that the democrat hand wringing is over America spying on Al Qaeda.

10 posted on 12/31/2005 5:22:23 AM PST by alnick
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To: governsleastgovernsbest

The press is still infected with that Woodward/Bernstein malady. They get it in journalism school. It would be funny if Woodward appeared on TV and said there were some things in life more important than 'telling the truth' and letting the chips fall where they may -- such as protecting this country from nuclear attack. I suspect he'd instantly become a nonperson and the outraged MSM would strike him off all cocktail party lists.


11 posted on 12/31/2005 5:22:39 AM PST by hershey
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
The rats have no case and they know it.
Honeycut can talk as fast as he wants it still won't matter. If you listen closely he is now giving in to about half of our solid factual points just so he can try and slip one of his bogus "get GW all the time" lies in.The DNC talking point must suggest to rat/talkers on the nets to go with "GW wiretapped illegaly" which was been proven to be a lie almost as soon as the bougus story came out.

But they will keep trying and we, the new media, will keep exploding and exposing their lies until their voices,the old media, have no takers at all.That day is on the way .
12 posted on 12/31/2005 5:24:35 AM PST by rodguy911 (Support Able Danger and Lt.Col Shaffer,Condi Rice/VP in 08--)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest

Elvis Honeycutt, you can almost see the slime ooze.


13 posted on 12/31/2005 5:25:57 AM PST by rodguy911 (Support Able Danger and Lt.Col Shaffer,Condi Rice/VP in 08--)
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To: rodguy911

Unfortunately the rats got a head start over the holidays with the "heroic leaker saving our civil rights from illegal wiretaps" nonsense. The debate has already been framed.

The Presidents Press Secretary needs to go.


14 posted on 12/31/2005 5:33:04 AM PST by Wristpin ("The Yankees have decided to buy every player in Baseball....")
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
Of course, I suppose no one advised the great crusader for human rights and justice, Hennican, that he and those many other nimrods need to get their beloved enemy Democrat Party elected to office, in far greater numbers, to have a definitive say in these matters.





15 posted on 12/31/2005 5:34:38 AM PST by G.Mason (All I said was "Happy Holidays" and I got twelve hundred whiners weeping.)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
Henican: "Without confidential sources investigative reporters can't do their work."

Pinkerton reminded Henican of the flip-side of that formulation: "Without confidential methods, government can't do its work."
16 posted on 12/31/2005 5:36:06 AM PST by stocksthatgoup ("It's inexcusable to tell us to 'connect the dots' and not give us the tools to do so." G W Bush)
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To: alnick

I think the left is going nuts because they know dang good and well what Bubba did with the authority while he had it, and libs think everyone else is as degenerate as they are.


17 posted on 12/31/2005 5:38:25 AM PST by mewzilla (Property must be secured or liberty cannot exist. John Adams)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
We know exactly how FDR would have dealt with these folks. FDR sent all the Japanese Americans to interment camps for the duration of the war just to protect the fact that we had broken the Japanese codes and knew who their spies and saboteurs were in this country.
18 posted on 12/31/2005 5:38:28 AM PST by SubMareener (Become a monthly donor! Free FreeRepublic.com from Quarterly FReepathons!)
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To: stocksthatgoup
Henican: "Without confidential sources investigative reporters can't do their work."

Then someone should leak the Barrett Report, right, Henican? Otherwise reporters won't be able to do their work.

19 posted on 12/31/2005 5:39:41 AM PST by mewzilla (Property must be secured or liberty cannot exist. John Adams)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
"[The government's] job is to keep the secret, our job is to tell the truth."

Then, Ellis is a complete and utter failure at his job.

20 posted on 12/31/2005 5:40:51 AM PST by auboy
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