Get a rope

A handful of CIA/NSA officials are putting the lives of countless spy personnel in danger, not to mention the entire US by releasing confidential information relating to our ability to gather intelligence - intel that has (according to the NYT story in question) already thwarted some attacks.

First they "leak" the info about the CIA airlines. Then they leak the info about the overseas prisons. Now they leak the info about the wiretap of international phone calls. It seems the only “leaker” that gets any scrutiny is the one that made the administration look somewhat good (Plame leak). Why aren’t we in an uproar over these other well-placed leaks? I know - its because Rove isn’t behind those leaks.

At what point does the exercise of First Amendment rights morph into treason? It seems like people associate treason with something that could only happen back during the Revolutionary War. It is as much a real issue now as it ever was. We are all free to question policy and disagree with policy, but when we actively (by leaking classified information) oppose legal procedures by our government in a time of war – that has to be at least considered treasonous.

In 1990 the US had figured out the type of cell phone used by Bin Laden and the particulars around how he used it – so that we may listen in. But somehow the press found this out and published it. Guess what? Bin Laden stopped using that phone and we stopped getting our intel. Point being - our actions carry consequences. The person who leaks the classified information should recognize the harm he is causing, and the media should recognize the harm caused by publishing. If the media wanted to run a “watch-dog” story on perceived abuses by the administration, it could do so without disclosing the particulars.

You can sit there and wish our troops were not engaged in a war. You can wish that the Jihadists don’t want you dead. You can pretend that America will be safe if we only pull out now (funny, I don’t recall us being engaged with Iraq or Afghanistan prior to 9/11 – as if those were the reasons they attacked us). But none of that wishing will get rid of the facts. And whether you like it or not, real people are in harms way to ensure that we don’t have to be. Leaking classified information, especially during a time of war, for petty partisan gain puts us all in harms way and is below reprehensible. It is treason. And if we ever uncover who did the leaking, they should be tried and once convicted - hung!