Susan Estrich: "Constitution Protects Reporters' Right to Publish Top Secret Info"

Fox News | 6/23/06

[pabianice]

Susan Estrich just summed-up the Left's attitude toward today's NY Times' publishing top secret info on the Justice Department's bank record monitoring of terrorists' financing:

'The US Constitution absolutely protects a reporter's and a paper's right to publish top secret military information.' Further: 'One of the reasons Bush is low in the polls is that the president has lost the respect of the press.'

This is the party that plans to retake Congress. Utterly clueless and angry enough to destroy us for spite.

[Just Lori]

Why don't we get the Attorney General's opinion on that....

[anglian]

PATRICK DOLLARD IN IRAQ:

The American Media, by and large, are trying to sway the next two elections to their team. The best way to do this is to damage the administration and the Republican Congress. The best way to do this is to convince the American people that Iraq is a failure. The best way to do that is to declare defeat and force a retreat. Normally, any winning political strategy is fair enough. But to employ a winning domestic political strategy without regard for the consequences to the American people, whose children will be slaughtered at the hands of ascendant Jihadists (among a series of other consequences) is not only wrong, but just plain evil.

The media have, by and large, allied with the Jihadists in the hope that the Jihadists' victory in Iraq will win their party the White House and Congress. The media simply cannot resist the temptation to test their power in the service of a domestic political agenda.

The journalists I've met here have, to a man, all been Democrats, and all have railed against the Bush administration and have, with much hope in their eyes, predicted failure for America in Iraq. They all come here intending to shill for their party, and then they all shill for their party. They give Al Qaeda and the Sunni insurgents hope, they stoke the financial and recruitment fires of the international Jihad Machine.

It's all very simple. They are in huge measure, directly responsible for the ongoing death toll of Americans in Iraq. Everyone here in Iraq, the Islamic world at large, and most especially the Jihadist Movement's leadership, follow the American media closely, in order to monitor the American people's headspace, primarily with regard to whether or not we will continue the fight on to the establishment of a successful democratic, capitalistic, and modernized society here, or whether we will run in self-imposed defeat. The morale of the International Jihad Movement is almost entirely dependent on the posture of the American media. Their strategies, indeed, are primarily determined by it as well. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1644762/posts

[fish hawk]

I was thinking about all those bio-weapons and how they say they are no good to use now. Okay, lets let the lefties go there and open them up and test them without wearing any protective clothing.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Ya had to do it didn't you? You just had to do it.

[FrankR]

Hummm...let's see, they told us in the military we could be severely punished if we divulged any "Top Secret" material...but he MSM can publish it in the tabloid. Now there is some National security for you.

Is "Journalist" Latin for "Dictator", or "A**hole"?

[slowhand520]

"Constitution Protects Reporters' Right to Publish Top Secret Info"

Really? Where does it say "reporter's rights" in the constitution? The constitution specifically protects us from treason and that is what is being committed.

Article III:

Section 3.


Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.

"r in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort"

Isn't that what the press and the Dems do?
"

[Tokra]

'The US Constitution absolutely protects a reporter's and a paper's right to publish top secret military information.the government's right to arrest, prosecute and execute traitors who aid and abet the enemy during the time of war.

There - fixed her statement.

[Dustbunny]

This woman's elevator does not reach the top floor.

[harpu]

"Further: 'One of the reasons Bush is low in the polls is that the president has lost the respect of the press.' " Hmmmm...

I suggest they (whoever the hell 'they' are) Poll (with a legitimate pollster [could be another oxymoron!) the question; "Who would you first trust your family's safety to - Bush or the media"?

The question reminds me of the bumper sticker I sport proudly on the back of my gas guzzling SUV!

[driftless]

I dream of the day when justice officials take Pinch Sulzberger and the sorry dreck who publishes the LA Slimes and frogmarch them out of their respective rat holes for being traitors. Which they most unequivocally are.

[rhombus]

Isn't that already tested? The Nixon White House could not prevent the NYT from publishing the Pentagon Papers, even though it went all the way to the Supreme Court.

I'm really not sure. It seems like the issue of "who leaked" could be pursued. While this still allows media to publish things, it might dry up their sources. Further, there is also the question of what constitutes "the press" these days. Can I start a personal blog and publish military secrets? It seems that every individual today might be considered "the press" and the NY Times should have no special privilege over anyone else to blab secrets.

[Bryan24]

'One of the reasons Bush is low in the polls is that the president has lost the respect of the press.'

Stop and think about the logic behind that statement. Think about it's implications.

1. Either she doesn't realize what she said, or

2. She and the rest of the press are so arrogant they no longer feign being apolitical.

[Constitution Day]

What is she smoking? I mean, besides ugly sticks?

[shalom aleichem]

This says media is prosecutable:
http://www.reclaimthemedia.org/print.php?story=06/04/30/7217729

[weegee]

Media Schadenfreude and Media Shenanigans PING

"One of the reasons Bush is low in the polls is that the president has lost the respect of the press."

This is one of those statements which makes you shake your head in disbelief. It shows a belief/admission in the idea that the press controls/spins/determines the outcome of polls. True or not, I can't believe someone would admit to it.

[Tokra]

If any of you ever think of buying these papers, stop yourself.

Unless there is a shortage of toilet paper.

[contemplator]

During the Civil War General Sherman said reporters were spies and he treated them as such. Some things never change.

Grant actually kicked them all out of his camp and would only allow certain ones in after it was verified that several were spying for the enemy.

[Bryan24]

I wish Ms. Estrich could tell me why the press would feel it necessary to publish, say, nuclear launch codes or specifications for nuclear warhead design.

[Recovering_Democrat]

I saw that. Estrich and in fact all of the Democrats (Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman possibly being the exceptions) are full of it.

We must crush them in November.

[socialismisinsidious]

'One of the reasons Bush is low in the polls is that the president has lost the respect of the press.'

I read this and think "well yeah"...Bush doesn't respect the whiny, loony left press so they word the polls to get answers that they want, weight them heavy with Deaniacs and make things up/don't report certain things to keep Bush's numbers low.

Message from the press (while sticking out lower lip and stomping feet): don't do what we want and we will make sure that you are 'low in the polls'