"It says that Washington is planning a secret Christmas attack on the Hessian garrison at Trenton!"
"Quick! We must find the patriot who leaked this and thank him!"
Posted on 4/25/2006, 3:42:33 AM by Roscoe Karns
The firing this week of a veteran CIA analyst for disclosing confidential information is just the latest reminder that leaking government secrets can be a dangerous and risky game.
After all, leaking has been around as long as the nation itself.
In 1794, George Washington was outraged when Alexander Hamilton released details of a treaty negotiation.
Benjamin Franklin lost his job as postmaster after he leaked private letters to reveal political leanings of colonial leaders — letters that helped fan the flames of the Revolution.
"Leaks have been around since Jefferson was complaining about newspapers and what they were doing to him," said Howard Kurtz, media critic for The Washington Post. "The difference now is you have so many more media outlets and a 24-hour digital world [so] that the leak can instantly go around the globe. You don't have to wait for the newspaper to be delivered on horseback."
Not that there was any shortage of horseback riding leakers in the old days. In fact, you might say it was the "midnight ride" of Paul Revere and his unauthorized disclosure of British troop movements back in 1775 that led to the birth of our nation.
Since then, our leaders have relied on leaks as an essential political tool, with everyone from Honest Abe Lincoln to FDR, Dwight Eisenhower and JFK.
Good Leaks, Bad Leaks?
Perhaps the greatest purveyor — and victim — of leaks in presidential history was Richard Nixon. Nixon-era leaks included the Pentagon Papers and revelations on Watergate.
Two years after The New York Times caught wind of secret bombing raids in Cambodia, a Defense Department employee began slipping photocopies of the Pentagon Papers to reporters.
In an attempt to plug the leaks, Nixon's men created a secret unit known as "The Plumbers," who eventually broke into Democratic National Committee headquarters. When those details were revealed to the Washington Post, a presidency came crashing down.
"The most celebrated leaker in modern history is undoubtedly Deep Throat, who met with Bob Woodward in a parking garage and spilled the secrets of Watergate," Kurtz said. "A lot of people thought that that was a good leak in the sense that it was blowing the whistle in the Nixon administration. A lot of the national security leaks these days are much more controversial about whether or not somebody ought to be putting out classified information."
It wasn't exactly a national security secret, but the revelation of Bill Clinton's dalliances with an intern created a series of headaches for a different White House.
Strategic Leaking
The old Watergate pattern of leaks, counter-leaks and denials just won't go away in politics … or pretty much anywhere else. Leaks are even driving the way we cover celebrity births and Hollywood marriages.
Back in Washington, the Bush White House is having problems with leaking, just like its predecessors. But as dangerous as leaking is, a world without leaks might just pose some dangers of its own.
"Without some leaks on some issues from some well-placed sources, a lot of important stories would never get out," Kurtz said.
ABC News' Bill Weir reported this story for "Good Morning America Weekend Edition" and "World News Tonight."
And Teddy killing a girl was about a big leak in his car while under water.
The party of treason and their allies in the drive-by media are doing their darndest to cover up the Clintonista subversion of the war on terror. They are too stupid to realize that the American people don't buy it one bit.
The left has been SCREAMING for TWO YEARS about LEAKS!! 24/7 VERY BAD TO LEAK A CIA AGENT"S NAME......Well....how can the Amwerican people take them SERIOUSLY when they say now..Leaks are Good!! HANG EM HIGH!!
How come these favorable analogies didn't come out with Libby? LOL.
What do we know about Bill Weir??? Let's expose this POS.
If Paul Revere had been like some of the leakers on the Hill now, he would have ridden to the Brits and said "attack now, they're asleep."
Next, we'll be treated to the brainless talking points via the networks. Focus-grouped spin will be the order of the day.
Sheesh -- check out the softballs he tosses at Clinton in this interview:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/backpages/2006/02/conversation_wi.html
No luck.
We need to be sending some e-mail his way....anyone ??
Still shocks me that the FCC allows these no-brains, no talent rocks on the air.
SWooo Bill Weir got an interview with Clinton......proves he;s ONE OF THEM!!! ANYONE who is a Clintonoid is DIRTY...PERIOD.
This time they have overplayed their hand. ALl Americans have heard their sreaming about leaks....well her comes a leaker and she'll go to prison....the American people won't care.
Well, just because he got an interview with Clinton doen't mean he's a Clintonista. He didn't evactly put Bill's feet to the fire in that lovefest, however! :-)
Wow! Glad Howie could put it all in perspective for me! Now how was it that Ted Hall and the Rosenberg's made America a better place?
That;s how I know he's a Clinton bathwater drinker.
and the Clinton "whistle blowers" about the Chi-com techno transfers, illegal campaign money, WH email system SNAFU's were all just partisan accusations?!
Howard Kurtz is STUCK ON STUPID if he doesn't realize the difference between leaking UN-classified and CLASSIFIED....hey Howie...one's ILLEGAL!!
Libs demanded that leakers be EXECUTED...
Funny, I haven't heard anyone from the left demanding Mary be Executed, have I??
I haven't heard many "Anonymous sources" or "Attorney's close to the case", have you???
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