Posted on 06/24/2006 5:58:31 AM PDT by StatenIsland
WASHINGTON - Vice President Cheney raked the media yesterday for exposing a secret Bush administration project to look into financial transactions of Americans as part of the war on terror. "What I find most disturbing about these stories is the fact that some of the news media take it upon themselves to disclose vital national security programs, thereby making it more difficult for us to prevent future attacks against the American people," Cheney grumbled at a GOP fund-raiser in Illinois. "That offends me."
The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal first broke the story, infuriating Cheney, who has been on a crusade to get the press not to reveal programs the White House deems necessary to fight terror but have been denounced by some privacy advocates.
Earlier this week, Cheney said the news media should withhold publishing stories when the government asks them to, on the grounds of protecting national security.
The White House was upset last month when news leaked that it was eavesdropping on Americans without first getting warrants.
The White House contends it's not an invasion of Americans' privacy to sift through international financial records.
"This terrorist tracking program ... is really government at its best. It's responsible government. It's effective government. It's government that works," outgoing Treasury Secretary John Snow contended yesterday.
"This is not a fishing expedition. We're not simply trolling for data. We're not mining data. We are, rather, making precise inquiries," Snow said.
Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. government began secretly looking at records from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. The Belgium-based cooperative routes about $6 trillion daily between banks, brokerages, stock exchanges and other financial institutions. The program did not include looking at everyday transactions by ordinary Americans.
The records helped track Riduan Isamuddin, known as Hambali, the suspected Al Qaeda boss in Southeast Asia, according to The Times.
Sign me up!
Good point, that too, the fact whoever it is doing the "leaking of info" is not loyal to the Administration.
Okay, so I'm only on my first cup of Kenya AA, I'll finish it and be all better in a few minutes.
Cheney states he is disturbed about leaks and offended that they occur. Quite an understated and gentlemanly series of comments.
And yet the hysterical headline reads: "Cheney TRASHES the Media" .... WAAAAAA!
Frankly, the lamestream media has BECOME trash. And possesses all the maturity and reasoning power of an angry over-indulged 14 year old in full rebellion against adult authority. Publishing national security secrets during wartime? Hey, if it will discredit BUSH or CHENEY or CONDI, go for it.
What sad times for our Republic, to be served thusly by our so-called free press.
But Thank the Lord for the mass communications capabilities of the internet as an alternative.
I have been thinking lately that there is more to this than meets the eye. There is one person, who has great influence on the MSM and the hold-overs in the intelligence agencies who has a vested interest in the failure of the George Bush presidency. This one person has many loyal followers who have no qualms about doing ANYTHING that furthers his cause. Any success that happens in the Bush presidency is one more dagger in the heart of this bitter loser, and renews the desire for revenge against the hated republicans.
Think "legacy". The left in this country...the press, the historians, the professors in the universities have united in their total committment to deny George W. Bush any legacy except that of total failure, and they are using any and all methods to achieve their ends.
This is about redeeming Bill Clinton's legacy by tarnishing that of Bush, and about giving Clinton another stint in the White House. The Clintonistas are praying for another attack and doing everything they can to bring it about, because then they can point to the eight years of Clinton's do-nothing failure and convince the voting public that they want the "good old days" back, when the elitists in the MSM had free run of the White House. Another few thousand dead Americans? To them, worth it.
Hillary in the White House, (with Bill pulling the strings), Bill over the UN...what a perfect world for the libs.
Unless the Bush administration acts, the chances of this happening get better every day.
It's a beautiful sight to see....
US defends secret money tracking
And
ACLU Says Government Spying on Bank Records is Further Abuse of Power
[I think we have a dangerous situation today where the U.S. press is trying to get absolute freedom.Senator Jeff Sessions had an interesting comment on this subject:"If a spy comes into our country and gets secure information and gives it to the enemy,we prosecute them and put them in jail.But if a reporter gets secure information and publishes it to our enemies and to the whole world,they get the Pulitzer Prize."]
Maybe the spies are the journalists.
He should remind all that the "media" may wery well get a hellava lot of LIBS killed. Er Ah, wait, Hmmm Gotta thimk this over sum more.
Perfectly safe in this country to spy as a journalist
I agree with you. I wish the President and VP would put charges of treason where their mouths are, but I know that will never happen. I don't think anyone will ever be charged with treason in this country again - or at least not while it's a Republican-controlled White House and Congress... sigh...
[When a person has a top secret clearance, you basically have taken an oath to keep your mouth shut for ever.]
That's right. Let's see if Mary O. McCarthy (former CIA leaker) gets prosecuted.
Rush says there is a 'shadow government' of Clinton people out to destroy dubya and could care less what damage it causes this country's ability to protect it's citizens.
I believe Rush has nailed it.
I say fine the NYT $250 Billion to repair the damage they have caused,
plus the damages from any future attacks this program may have prevented.
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