Sandy "Burglar" story remains surreal

Rocky Mountain News ^ | December 22, 2006

[AmericanMade1776]

The newly disclosed inspector general's report on the theft of documents from the National Archives fails to answer one key question: What on Earth was Sandy Berger thinking? Berger was President Bill Clinton's national security adviser and his liaison with the 9/11 commission, and in that capacity Berger spent several days at the National Archives in 2003 reviewing reports on how the Clinton White House responded to the millennium terrorist threats. For whatever reason, he sneaked five of the highly classified documents out of the Archives, very much a security no-no. At one point, he left the Archives and stashed the pilfered documents under a construction trailer at the corner of Ninth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. Berger got caught when the Archives staff became suspicious and quietly numbered the documents he received.

He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor of unauthorized removal of classified documents, paid a $50,000 fine and gave up his security clearance for three years. That's a wrist-slap, at worst. But with the release of this report he does suffer another punishment - ridicule.

[sam_paine]

I think the authorities aren't thinking about what he was thinking, because to do so might uncover some truths that would be politically very embarrassing.

I buy into the "doc drop" theory instead. I think Burglar may have been trying to "leak" the best version of these docs to put them in the best light coming before the 911 committee. I think he stashed them there so someone else could pick them up (reporter/NYT?) They balked, and he had to go back and get them and destroy them. I don't think he was doing it for cash, because if he was selling out Clinton, he'd likely be in Ft. Marcy Park now, instead of Lanny Davis covering for him on Hannity.

[Sacajaweau]

A couple of things rarely get noticed:

1. Berger was allowed to call one of Bubba's attorneys by the archive people. And it was prior to the FBI being notified. That means that someone at the FBI got a very special phone call.

The Berger heist was leaked to the press. Berger's attorney was furious saying that "he was cooperating".

I'm inclined to think he INSERTED "Clinton favorable" documents into the archives while removing others. Ah, so nice and neat. No forgery here...just a little robbery and manipulation of top secret memos.

[johnny7]

Shame doesn't exist in this nation anymore...

[WhiteGuy]

WHAT THE HELL WAS THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT DOING LETTING THIS TRAITOR OFF WITH A SLAP ON THE WRIST?????????????

Hmmmmmmm, this is the bush administration justice dept. right?

Sort of makes a person wonder........

[AmericanMade1776]

And all the while, America is fighting Terrorism, that had a buildup during the Clinton years.

[spectre]

Contrast this slap on the wrist with our two Border Patrol agents who are going to prison for 10 YEARS, because they did their job and shot a drug smuggler in the ass.

We move into the Twilight Zone when our gov't offers the Drug Smuggler immunity to testify against OUR own agents.

Something is wrong with this country...very wrong.

sw

[panthermom]

The absolute blatant corruption of our goverment is astounding. As I have said before, I AM TRULY FRIGHTENED FOR THE FUTURE OF MY CHILDREN!!!!

[Roccus]

So he can work in the next Democrat's administration.

[Unicorn]

BTTT

[Beckwith]

At one time, I handled Top Secret documents and I would be in Leavenworth today if I did what Berger did.

[RetiredArmy]

Sandy Burglar as Rush calls him, was probably pulling out documents that would have implicated that the Klintons failed in their terrorist defense of the Republic, and the Klinton legacy must be preserved.

Klinton's next book: "The Meaning of IT!!"

Did eBay get his permission to use IT in those commericals??

[panthermom]

Do any of yall think it's going to get to the point of an armed revolution? I mean, I am pretty sensible, but I cannot see our country going in the direction it is, right before our very eyes without some sort of backlash. I am 43, truthfully I never really paid all that much attention to politics until the Elian Gonzales issue. Since then I have become a news junkie. That being said, I try to think back and I really don't remember things being this bad, were they? It seems like the last 15 years or so I have seen a tremendous change all around me, drastic is more like it. Am I being paranoid?

[Alberta's Child]

Forget about ridicule for the Clinton people. This administration officially became a farce when it: 1) refused to prosecute an incompetent hack like Jamie Gorelick (let alone put her on a 9/11 commission whose express purpose was to examine a terrorist attack in which she was complicit through her malfeasance and/or dereliction of duty); and 2) refused to prosecute Sandy Berger to the fullest extent of the law when he committed a Federal crime to help cover up his own malfeasance/incompetence.

[Xenophon450]

Border agents being arrested for doing their JOB, and yet the elite can do anything with little to no consequence. Marines being tried and yet no trial for sandy the treacherous snake.

[oldironsides]

You can count on this, Berger will be back in the whitehouse and national security if the Democrats win the whitehouse. He will once again be in a position to protect the Clintons. He was on John Kerrys national security advisory staff when he was confronted with this betrayal of American citizens trust. He is a loyal Clintonite. He managed to skew history with his document theft. He is the Web Hubbel evil twin.

Sandy Berger just assisted in the removal of Congressman Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania. He was a fund raiser. Why would you think Clinton and Berger wanted to oust Weldon? They got Admiral Joe Sestak of Virginia to return to Delware County Pa and take on Weldon. How they managed the raid on Weldons daughter home leads me to believe they still have justice dept. loyalists from the old days? I hope Weldon writes another book about these seedy characters. The people of Weldons district have no idea they have been used and screwed over by the Arkansas mafia. They just saw an Admiral from the Clinton administration wanting to go to Washington to get the job done......

[Roccus]

It started in Jan.'01 when the administration refused to prosecute those who trashed the WH!

That "...setting a new tone in Washington..." thingy worked out real well, eh?

[DManA]

For whatever reason, he sneaked five of the highly classified documents out of the Archives,

B.S. We'll never know what he stole.

[Roccus]

Time to resurect an old tagline.

[vietvet67]

Just another chip in our countrys moral foundation. Believe the bible mentions the time will come when right becomes wrong and wrong becomes right. We're there. Roman empire revisited?