Exposure (Did the New York Times break the law with its wire-tapping story?)

The Weekly Standard ^ | January 24, 2006 | Scott Johnson

[Echo Talon]

Investigation, then incarceration and it doesn't necessarily have to be in that order. :D

[starbase]

I guess everyone has seen that their profits are down something like 46% this quarter. It would be nice symmetry if we could send 46% of their editors to prison. Planetary alignments, that sort of thing.

[gondramB]

How the public views these things has a lot to do with whether or not wrongdoing is exposed - unless it turns out that the president broke the law I suspect the Times will get slapped down. They may have misjudged thinking it was ilegal to tap incoming calls from known terrorists.

So far no one credible has said the President authorized tapping citizens on an ongoing basis without a court order. if the Times thinks that is what happens I have not seen them publish it.

[Doctor Raoul]

Jail Judy Some More!!!

[Domangart]

I thought it was odd that the AG referred to the articles as all wrong. Did the next J Blair report war stories? It's past time to do something.

[Balata]

LOL! That's a good start.

[Nomorjer Kinov]

I had just been given advice by a famous constitutional law professor on how to commit treason and get away with it. One wonders if the Times relied on similar advice regarding its publication of the NSA surveillance story.

Hmm. Maybe the Times could be tried in front of their favorite court - FISA. The Times does respect secure intelligence, right?

[USS Alaska]

What five justices said in 1972 was while they would not issue an order to prevent the nyslimes from publishing the pentagon papers, they would agree that the slimes were liable to be criminally prosecuted if they did publish them.

There is going to be somebody{s] going to jail over the NSA leak. Most likely the leakers, but hopefully, a couple of editors, writers and {maybe owner} of the nyslimes. Lil' punch in the bummy may get to find true love in sing sing. He has always liked variety in his boi tois, and the BIG house will give him loads of that. It might make the variety pages of the sunday edition. Punch in the gym ; bubba punches punch; punch tries the salsa bois; it just keeps getting better.

[Eva]

Good article.

[3catsanadog]

Maybe with an investigation, we'll find out who leaked the wiretapping to the Times.

My money's on Leaky Leahy.

[NutCrackerBoy]

The government taking the press to task wouldn't play very well, and of course, as the article says, too much more sensitive info about the methods would be exposed.

What I can't seem to wrap my head around is where is the public outrage? I am outraged that a newspaper willingly damaged the effectiveness of a key anti-terrorism tool. All I want is for the good guys to win - is that too much to ask?

[jazusamo]

I agree, but it's Leaky Lying Leahy.

[marron]

These guys blew the operation, intentionally. They need to do serious time. Reporters, officers, agents, alike. Revealing this kind of ongoing operation, during wartime, is worthy of a death sentence.

If this isn't treason, then take the laws off the books, as the word has no meaning. If blowing NSA surveillance of Al Qaeda communications isn't a capital offense, then we may as well all go home and put our feet up, while the band plays "Nearer My God to Thee".

[nopardons]

LOL..........no, now it's Pinch's turn.

[ark_girl]

Have you seen anything thus far to make you think the President cares how things "play"?

The sad truth about this business is that the press is going to try to present the government in the worst possible light no matter what as long as Republicans are in power.

Appease the press, don't appease them....it won't change their coverage on other issues. Give somebody (or a few somebodies) a solid boot up the butt and their colleagues might think twice about publishing classified information next time. The press needs to learn that there are limits to what they should be publishing....just because someone tells you how to build a nuclear bomb or from what direction we are going to attack the bad guys doesn't mean you get to publish it for all of creation to see. I'm not convinced all of the American press in 2006 understands that, and since we are at war, they need to be reminded before they get someone on our side killed.

[Crooked Constituent]

Investigation, incarceration, then castration.

[Echo Talon]

don't do them any favors with the castration. They pay good money for that kind of surgery. :)

[NutCrackerBoy]

Have you seen anything thus far to make you think the President cares how things "play"?

Well, obviously we are in agreement about everything that matters. I could argue that narrow point, however. While true President Bush makes big decisions the right way - not a finger in the air guy - that's excellent - this White House is wary of direct confrontations with matters of liberal certitude. Take ethnic profiling for example.

If Justice Department investigation leads to indictments of pressers, which would surprise me, the Administration will play it very, very straight.

[ark_girl]

Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part. I think these people need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. There is a difference between publishing an article exposing a Senator's financial improprieties that shows them to be unfit for office and publishing an articcle that weakens national security. If those people can't freakin regulate themselves (which they clearly have no intention of doing), then they need to have someone do it for them. If it takes some people in the press spending some time playing "don't drop the soap" in prison to remember they are not above the law, then so be it. Maybe they'll start to remember all of that ethics stuff I know darn well they were taught in journalism school and are choosing to ignore.