Via Kevin Drum, here’s an LA Times article on why the Administration was not happy about the leak of information to AP reporters.
Disclosure of a highly classified intelligence operation in Yemen last year compromised an exceedingly rare and valuable espionage achievement: an informant who had earned the trust of hardened terrorists, according to U.S. officials.
The operation received new scrutiny this week after the Justice Department disclosed it had obtained telephone records for calls to and from more than 20 lines belonging to the Associated Press news service and its journalists in April and May 2012 in a high-level investigation of the alleged leak of classified information.
To make a long story short, British intelligence had a mole planted in al Qaeda in the Saudi Peninsula, and he had given the U.S. some information on new bomb-making techniques and the people behind them, but information leaked to and published by the AP made further use of the mole impossible. Apparently the Administration was after the leaker, not the reporters.
AP has sucked flounder d*ck for years, and at that point, THAT POINT, it decided to go back to its roots, and try some actual journalism?
Jayzooh H. Tap-dancin’ Keeeeeeerist, that’s suspicious enough, in and of itself.
Oh, and Reich-wingers, don’t tell me that your “Young Churchill,” W, didn’t snoop on some journalists who were critical of him – because that would probably be the first ethical barrier he and his puppet-master, Dastardly Dumb Dick, didn’t just blithely leap across.
See, this is the problem. Situations like bengazi and the ap story show the republicans just HATE America. Did they not think perhaps Obama has a different approach to handling these things then standing on the rubble with a bull horn lobbing threats at terrorists? Rather than give them the attention they crave Obama seems to say nothing and carry a big drone stick. Why let them know you are coming for them? Just shut up and handle it. Recall when issa disclosed classified info in one of his “hearings”. IF they needed hearings they should have been closed door, but NOOOOOO issa wanted the chance to drag Obama thru the mud PUBICALLY and no life or operation he might have
compromised would stop him. If they would just do their jobs they would have no time to cause trouble like this , let alone be worried about Obama’s job. How long will it be before national security is compromised by those who dislike that a black man lives in the whitehouse? oops looks like we have our answer.
I won’t comment on this scandal yet.. I’m still in the midst my investigative work on umbrellagate.
Swami,
Will you comment when “Umbrella-gate” is finally an ‘Open, And Shut, Case?”
You do know that you’ll need some “cover” if you made a decision, if you decide to opine before everything’s open, and closed?
Well, Gulag, it might be a while. I’ve uncovered a liberal plot to replace the statute in Washington D.C. of the Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima with a statute of Mary Poppins. Damned Liberals!.. can’t trust a one of them. Next they’re gonna be wanting to change our national anthem to Kumbaya
Gee I didn’t think I said anything THAT bad…a little grumpy perhaps(the gop has that affect on me)…but I musta been bad,,,Maha gave me a comment spanking :(( I am gonna go sit in the corner now, and try to figure out what I did.
justme — it wasn’t me; it was the automatic spam filter. I wasn’t even here.
justme277… Looks like you might have been infected with some of that Glenn Beck paranoia that’s been going around lately. WordPress is the culprit, not Maha. I get put into moderation all the time. I ‘ve learned not to take it personal. I just wait WordPress out when they start pickin’ on me and I go do something else until the coast is clear to post again.
Rather than give them the attention they crave Obama seems to say nothing and carry a big drone stick.
Yes, I think that’s exactly right. My impression is that the general approach is to rely mainly on intelligence gathering, and then send in the drones when you’re sure you’re going to hit the right guy.
Which is another reason why all this grandstanding from the Republicans is so obnoxious: it’s a grotesque parody of what Congress is supposed to do. Obviously the whole drone program is troubling for a number of reasons, which is why appropriate congressional oversight is vital. Instead we get 11 hours of complete nonsense from Rand Paul.
Personally, I could conceivably be comfortable with the drones, but I don’t know enough to be sure. If the mission that took out bin Laden is a model, I have to say I had no qualms about that. For the drones, I would need to know more, but that would require Congress to ask the right questions.
Next they’re gonna be wanting to change our national anthem to Kumbaya.
No no no. “Raindrops Are Fallin On My Head.”
Unequal application of the law is a problem that sets an example to many that either one can pick and choose which ones to honor or that we now have super-citizens who are free to do this while others are not. Why can’t I be a super-citizen? I bet Bradley Manning is asking the same thing so give anyone, no matter how high and mighty the Manning treatment.
They could always ameliorate the damage by claiming 10-15 double agents which really don’t exist ….produce some fog in the cloak and dagger war of spy vs. spy…sow discord amongst the enemy.
Bachmann was busy trying to squeeze some more life out of the phone records story today.. She seemed a little frantic, sorta like the scandal was starting to dissipate before her eyes and she needed to pump some more life into it. She’s totally wacked.. I love the way she pronounces Obama with the hard A’s. It makes her sound like she’s possessed with a demon.
She also hit on the IRS scandal claiming that the IRS was targeting Christians, patriots, and pro Israel people. She doesn’t miss an opportunity to pander to her nut-job base.
Why can’t I be a super-citizen?
You can, Pat! Just join the Tea Party.