Posted on 06/24/2006 5:58:31 AM PDT by StatenIsland
WASHINGTON - Vice President Cheney raked the media yesterday for exposing a secret Bush administration project to look into financial transactions of Americans as part of the war on terror. "What I find most disturbing about these stories is the fact that some of the news media take it upon themselves to disclose vital national security programs, thereby making it more difficult for us to prevent future attacks against the American people," Cheney grumbled at a GOP fund-raiser in Illinois. "That offends me."
The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal first broke the story, infuriating Cheney, who has been on a crusade to get the press not to reveal programs the White House deems necessary to fight terror but have been denounced by some privacy advocates.
Earlier this week, Cheney said the news media should withhold publishing stories when the government asks them to, on the grounds of protecting national security.
The White House was upset last month when news leaked that it was eavesdropping on Americans without first getting warrants.
The White House contends it's not an invasion of Americans' privacy to sift through international financial records.
"This terrorist tracking program ... is really government at its best. It's responsible government. It's effective government. It's government that works," outgoing Treasury Secretary John Snow contended yesterday.
"This is not a fishing expedition. We're not simply trolling for data. We're not mining data. We are, rather, making precise inquiries," Snow said.
Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. government began secretly looking at records from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. The Belgium-based cooperative routes about $6 trillion daily between banks, brokerages, stock exchanges and other financial institutions. The program did not include looking at everyday transactions by ordinary Americans.
The records helped track Riduan Isamuddin, known as Hambali, the suspected Al Qaeda boss in Southeast Asia, according to The Times.
The NYT owners are scared their income tax avoidance schemes will be exposed.
Arrest 'em 7 throw 'em in jail until we win the war on terrorism. Even if that takes decades.
The entire Democrat Party and the Mainstream media are traitors to our country
I agree %1000 .The NY Times needs to be dragged into court. They are putting road block in the way of the gov. finding out how to stop the PEOPLE WHO WANT TO KILL ME. Plain and simple . How much more simple can that be ? I think FR needs to push for dragging the NYT to court on this one . I cannot believe they get away with revealing anti terrorist methods.
That was utterly worthless! Hey Cheney, you and Bush stop being a bunch aof wusses and grow a set! Round up Pinch and his gang and try them for Teason and Sedition!
But the kicker is is that congressional members in the committee (though committee leaders knew about this operation a long time ago I believe) were briefed on this a couple weeks ago. That's where an investigation as to who gave this to the press should come from. Could be from staffers or it could be from one of the horses mouth.
A few people need to loose their government pensions for leaking information in order to clarify the minds of the hacks.
You want answers?
I think I'm entitled.
You want answers?!
I want the truth!
You can't handle the truth!
We need to flod the Attorny Generals office with letters and emails to go after the NY Times for leaking legal anti terrorist methods. They are responsible for putting me in danger and I'm furious. Anone have an address/email for the US Attorny General ?
Boy have I been wrong. I have assumed all these years that the government was doing this in some fashion or another. But now the NYT and WSJ are telling me that this is NEWS. Perhaps they were concerned that our enemy (both domestic and foreign) didn't grasp it.
Might not be in the government this time, or the phone call tracing. Might be someone in the banks or other institutions. In the phone records case, it might be someone in the phone company.
Whoever it was, they should be punished as the law allows, and as much as law allows.
I suspect the press can't be punished, except maybe for not revealing their sources to a grand jury and later a trial jury.
The Dems want power so badly that they would put us all in danger in order to slander Bush and the Republicans .This si disgusting.
Cheney grumbled, "I am offended..." by the Fifth Column Media disclosing/leaking info on VITAL natl security programs, etc.
Good Grief! Can you hear the thunder?
Check out the pictures (doctored WW II posters) on Michele Malkin's website - it's perfect.
http://www.michellemalkin.com/
This program has been disclosed to the Senate Intel committee for ages. Feinstein and other dems have heard all about this. I'm leaks have to be coming from Dem staffers on the intell committee.
Of the theories on this thread, your's seems to me to ring most true.
If that's the case, I think firing squads are in order.
Well look at who knows about this stuff, and who has something to gain. Inside intel people may have some reason, some idealistic reason for being pissed at Bush and his reconfiguration of the power structure within the community. But I doubt it. The liberals have HUGE reasons to let this stuff out to continue their campaign of 'corruption and power grabbing' by the right.
They ought to fly every democratic staffer on the intel committee over to Egypt and exact some truth out of them.
This article is an embarrassment. Whoever wrote this has absolutely no journalistic integrity.
I would bet large that this information and subsequent decision to print and expose was promoted by 'a' US Senator. I would further surmise that the same leaker gave hollow assurances of no government retaliation if and when printed.
Our biggest enemy of late is our sitting incumbants.
"Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged."
- Abraham Lincoln
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