WSJ: War of the Words -- The free flow of information is often our best ally. -- by Donald Rumsfeld

Wall Street Journal ^ | July 18, 2005 | DONALD H. RUMSFELD

[OESY]

...The advance of technology is forcing a greater information flow. Internet blogs are appearing in countries where the press is still controlled by the government. Pro-democracy forces are communicating by email, pagers and blackberries. As more citizens gain access to new forms of information, to new ways of learning of the outside world, it will be that much more difficult for governments to cement their rule by holding monopolies on news and commentary....

• First, government officials will need to communicate clearly and often. When a government official is found to have put out information that is not exactly correct or fully complete -- even in good faith -- it plays into the hands of our enemies, who seize on any fault to try to harm the American system.

• Second, a healthy culture of communication and transparency between government and the public needs to be established. Due to the ubiquitous sources of information and access, most things -- controversial or not -- become known eventually. But they become known unhelpfully when they dribble out piecemeal or in highly selective excerpts -- as opposed to being presented early, in full and with appropriate context.

This openness, however, does not obviate the necessity of protecting the secrecy of confidential information that, if revealed, could harm the security of the U.S. While I have long believed that too much material is classified across the federal government as a general rule, an increasingly cavalier attitude towards sensitive information in various quarters can put the lives of our troops at correspondingly increasing risk.

• Lastly, government officials must find new and better ways to communicate America's mission abroad. This will mean embracing new ways of engaging people across the world, as the U.S. Information Agency and Radio Free Europe did during the Cold War....

[CBart95]

This is hardly what the guys who call Bush "The Betrayer in Chief" would expect from his fellow betrayers now...is it?

[Valin]

Bump

[CDB]

Rummy's op ed is fascinating. Toward the end of his article, he writers:

"...First, government officials will need to communicate clearly and often. When a government official is found to have put out information that is not exactly correct or fully complete -- even in good faith -- it plays into the hands of our enemies, who seize on any fault to try to harm the American system..."

Little Dickie Turbin, take note. Rumsfeld's comments are directly aimed at you and other US officials who aid our enemies.