Today will be Bill Bennett's day and deservedly so. He is on c-Span right now defending our values and few do it better.
One topic that came up, and again rightly so, was the leaking of state secrets by the press namely the NYT this time.
As a long time journalist we are taught to revere freedom of the pres which I do. This administration's dedication to that concept can hardly be challenged bearing in mind all the embedded journalists that have been allowed and other acknowledgments of the value of a free press.
However,freedom of the press during a time of war needs to be a different concept. A President, sec, of defense, Gen. or other leaders in time of war time judgments needs to be reepsected unequivocably.
When these leaders ask member of the press not to run stories, instead of demand that they stop these requests need to be obeyed without hesitation.
During a time of war there can only be a few leaders at the top, and last time I looked we do not want the NYT running the war. They need to obey like eveyone else.
Members of the press that do not comply with these requests need to be shut down as they were in WW II. There can be no compromise between a vague interpretation of what a free press is and the lives of our soldier fighting a viscous war.
This cannot be negotiated.
The bottom line is the welfare of the troops comes before the rights of the left wing press to continue their politicization of a war they don't like. We should not negotiate with the lives of our troops with a press hell bent on aiding and abetting the enemy.
Thanks, Rod. Bill Bennett is one sane voice this sunday on MTP too. He is getting regular invites from CNN too, without the so-called fair & balanced dem. Fox should get a clue.