Laughable claims about the NSA “Scandal”

American Thinker ^ | January 3, 2006 | Clarice Feldman

[cookcounty]

"Congressman Pete Hoekstraw (sp?)

That would be Peter Hoekstra, (R-MI), graduate of Hope College, home of the Flying Dutchmen, ranked 7th in Division III basketball.

[cookcounty]

" Because executive editor Bill Keller and publisher Arthur “Pinch” Sulzberger may well have been involved in the story and know the identity of the sources...they too could be subpoenaed and compelled to testify or else endure jail time."

Pinch, who stated his preference for my getting killed in 1972 and obviously has the same attitude toward our kids in Iraq. There's more than a little schadenfreude going on here, I have to admit.

[Publius6961]

Dalglish said. “The public needed to know about it and that is a classic reason why reporters need to protect their sources and it is even more reason why there is a need to have a federal shield law.”

Only an idiot or a foreign agent would argue that there is never an area of national security where absolute and continuing secrecy is not only warranted, but crucial, rising to the level of an essential responsibility.
It would be interesting to know if this foreign security expert agrees, and exactly under what circumstances.

The public need to know can never trump the security of 300 million...

[TC Rider]

I had a friend who was a high level civilian manager at NATO in the 90s. He cautioned me against using key words, like "missiles" even when emailing his civilian address.

[Publius6961]

I have no idea in what precinct of Planet Zongo the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is located, but Ms. Dalglish, this is the worst possible case for protecting sources. Those sources, dear lady, just violated federal laws designed to protect national security in the middle of a war started on our own soil. And the reporters who abetted that disgusting act are not worthy of our sympathy.

This can't be repeated often enough!
It's the classic definition of Treason.

[cookcounty]

Interesting that the Democrats apparently now admit that Clinton should have been impeached, but for domestic spying, not the reasons brought by the Pubbies.

[the Real fifi]

bttp

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

The public need to know can never trump the security of 300 million...

The public does not have a right to know. The First Amendment codifies our right to speak/print, right or wrong. If we can speak and print even though we are in fact wrong, the public which hears and reads us may be misled into "knowing" things which are not so.

[mnehring]

EXECUTIVE ORDER 12949

- - - - - - - FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE PHYSICAL SEARCHES



By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including sections 302 and 303 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 ("Act") (50 U.S.C. 1801, et seq.), as amended by Public Law 103- 359, and in order to provide for the authorization of physical searches for foreign intelligence purposes as set forth in the Act, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Pursuant to section 302(a)(1) of the Act, the Attorney General is authorized to approve physical searches, without a court order, to acquire foreign intelligence information for periods of up to one year, if the Attorney General makes the certifications required by that section.

Sec. 2. Pursuant to section 302(b) of the Act, the Attorney General is authorized to approve applications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court under section 303 of the Act to obtain orders for physical searches for the purpose of collecting foreign intelligence information.

Sec. 3. Pursuant to section 303(a)(7) of the Act, the following officials, each of whom is employed in the area of national security or defense, is designated to make the certifications required by section 303(a)(7) of the Act in support of applications to conduct physical searches:

(a) Secretary of State;

(b) Secretary of Defense;

(c) Director of Central Intelligence;

(d) Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation;

(e) Deputy Secretary of State;

(f) Deputy Secretary of Defense; and

(g) Deputy Director of Central Intelligence.

None of the above officials, nor anyone officially acting in that capacity, may exercise the authority to make the above certifications, unless that official has been appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON
THE WHITE HOUSE,
February 9, 1995.