CNN: Why can’t the White House keep a secret?

An even better question: do they want to keep secrets? Adam Levine analyzes the Stuxnet leak, as well as other recent leaks, and asks why this administration has suddenly turned into a sieve:

"The level of detail spilling out through media reports about crucial national security operations is raising the question of whether President Barack Obama’s administration can keep a secret – or in some cases even wants to."

"In just the past week, two tell-all articles about Obama’s leadership as commander-in-chief have been published, dripping with insider details about his sleeves-rolled-up involvement in choosing terrorist targets for drone strikes and revelations about his amped-up cyber war on Iran."

"Each article notes the reporters spoke to “current and former” American officials and presidential advisers, as well as sources from other countries."

“This is unbelievable … absolutely stunning,” a former senior intelligence official said about the level of detail contained in the cyberattack story.

"The official noted that the article cited participants in sensitive White House meetings who then told the reporter about top secret discussions. The article “talks about President Obama giving direction for a cyberweapons attack during a time of peace against a United Nations member state.”

"The article follows on the heels of what many considered dangerous leaking of details about a mole who helped foil a plot by al Qaeda in Yemen. The revelations of the British national threatened what was described at the time as an ongoing operation."

Is this really such a mystery? The White House has been leaking classified material for over a year, as long as it make Obama himself look awesome. The most ridiculous part of this particular leak is that the cyberattack plan came from the Bush administration and their partnership with Israel; Obama wisely chose to continue the program, but didn’t originate it. The leakers made sure that the New York Times and Washington Post gave Obama the headlines, though, mentioning Bush’s involvement only as a subsidiary fact to Obama’s alpha-male status.

This leak will complicate matters for the next administration, as CNN explains below. Now that we’ve committed acts of cyberwarfare and have begun bragging about it, allies with more vulnerability than the US — such as Israel — might think twice about assisting us in the future. It’s almost certainly going to complicate whatever negotiations take place with rogue nations in the future that might otherwise be inclined to reform. But hey, as long as Obama can make himself look good, then why worry, right?

Update: Senators Marco Rubio, Richard Burr, and Dan Coats blast the White House for their lack of discretion in today’s Washington Post:

"Sitting in a prison cell in Pakistan is one of those foreigners who trusted us. Shakil Afridiserved as a key informant to the United States in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. This brave physician put his life on the line to assist U.S. efforts to track down the most-wanted terrorist in the world, yet our government left him vulnerable to the Pakistani tribal justice system, which sentenced him to 33 years for treason. The imprisonment and possible torture of this courageous man — for aiding the United States in one of the most important intelligence operations of our time — coincides with a deeply damaging leak in another case."

"The world learned a few weeks ago that U.S. intelligence agencies and partners had disrupted an al-Qaeda plot to blow up a civilian aircraft using an explosive device designed by an affiliate in Yemen. This disclosure revealed sources and methods that could make future successes more difficult to achieve. The public release of information surrounding such operations also risks the lives of informants and makes it more difficult to maintain productive partnerships with other intelligence agencies. These incidents paint a disappointing picture of this administration’s judgment when it comes to national security."

Leaks are not really a problem. If the penalties are severe enough, and enforced, leaks dry right up.

The POTUS could provide the National Security Agency with a very carefully handcrafted memorandum, identifying leaks as a national security reportable issue.

Once it has been determined who is leaking, and to whom, the NSA forwards a report to a designated national security court, who, on reaching a finding of a breach of classified information, submits a warrant for detention of the leaker, and if possible, the recipient, to federal police like the US Marshals.

Note that this is detention, not arrest, so they are put “on ice”, until the severity of the leak can be determined, and the leak neutralized, if possible. From that point it is discretionary as to whether they will be prosecuted.

The Obama WH also uses leaks to hurt Israel.

For example, when Israel had a plan for an effective strike on Iranian nuc bomb planns, the Obama WH revealed it.

- - - - - - - - -

“According to an alleged leak, Israel is secretly staging an airstrike on Iran in neighboring Azerbaijan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been salivating over the thought of bombing Iranian nuclear facilities for some time now, and an anonymous senior US diplomat along with military intelligence officials alleged that “Israel has recently been granted access to airbases on Iran’s northern border.”

“The Israelis have bought an airfield and the airfield is called Azerbaijan,” said a senior administration official.

The information which was disclosed in Foreign Policy magazine stated that the Israeli-Azerbaijani alliance is deeper than both parties want others to believe”

That’s our Moslem president for you.

The Obama WH also uses leaks to hurt Israel.

For example, when Israel had a plan for an effective strike on Iranian nuc bomb planns, the Obama WH revealed it.

- - - - - - - - -

“According to an alleged leak, Israel is secretly staging an airstrike on Iran in neighboring Azerbaijan.

“The Israelis have bought an airfield and the airfield is called Azerbaijan,” said a senior administration official.

The information which was disclosed in Foreign Policy magazine stated that the Israeli-Azerbaijani alliance is deeper than both parties want others to believe”

That’s our Moslem president for you.

Ah, permit me to posit a wild guess as to where some of these "leaks" are coming from and are designed to harm this Great Republic.

From a News Release, dated Oct, 2010:

Washington, D.C. - Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano swore in three new members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) during her latest tri-annual meeting with HSAC, which took place at DHS headquarters this week. The HSAC is comprised of experts from state, local and tribal governments, emergency and first responder communities, academia and the private sector who provide recommendations and advice to the Secretary of Homeland Security on a variety of homeland security issues.

The new members include: former New York City Police Commissioner and Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton, who will join as vice-chair to former CIA and FBI Director Judge William Webster; Massachusetts General Hospital Director of Police, Security and Outside Services Bonnie Michelman; and Freedom and Justice Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Elibiary. [...]

Mohamed Elibiary is the President and CEO of the Freedom and Justice Foundation, and has advised numerous federal, state and local law enforcement organizations including the Texas Department of Safety and National Counterterrorism Center Global Engagement Group on matters relating to homeland security.

Recently, Elibiary served on DHS's Homeland Security Advisory Council Countering Violent Extremism Working Group, and currently serves on the Texas Department of Public Safety Advisory Board. In December of 2009 he helped establish the Texas Fusion Center Policy Council to enhance information sharing, analytical capabilities and community relations at the state and local law enforcement levels.

Momamed Elibiary

Elibiary has ties to Muslim Brotherhood Groups and Mohamed Elibiary was one of the speakers at a December 2004 conference in Dallas entitled "A Tribute to the Great Islamic Visionary," Ayatollah Khomeini.

Elibiary is also believed to be the person who photograhped (with his cell phone) parts of the FBI's training material (though classified) and leaked it to WIRED, leading to a sanitizing exercise of said material and scrubbing of any "Offensive" terms regarding Islam/Sharia/Jihad, et.

Elibiary is also believed to the the person who the Texas Department of Public Safety officials are asking questions following a report that Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council member Mohamed Elibiary may have been given access to a sensitive database of state and local intelligence reports, and then allegedly shopped some of those materials to a media outlet. He allegedly used the documents to claim the department was promoting “Islamophobia”

These are but minor examples of what this ISLAMIST (and is known and reported) has been engaged in and he is but one of many Dear Leader and his Regime has recruited and given Security Clearances in the FBI, DHS, DOJ, DOD, etc. and access to HIGHLY CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.

Though we are all aware of Obama's proclivity towards appeasing Islam and Islamic Republics; his negotiating with our enemies (Taliban); his release of captured Terrorists; his support of the "Arab Spring" in the ME which has led to the takeover of those countries by Radical Islamists; etc, many are not aware of what he has done to facilitate their (Islamists) acceptance and appointment to positions of "trust" within our own Government

Here are 5 others in addition to Elibiray:

Rashad Hussain

Kifa Mustapha

Huma Abedin

Daliah Mogahed

Mohamed Magid

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