President Bush Condemns Bank Spying Disclosure

President Bush has admonished the media for the disclosure of a program that involved secretly monitoring suspected terrorists' financial transactions.

Quote:

"For people to leak that program and for a newspaper to publish it does great harm to the United States of America," Mr. Bush said, jabbing his finger for emphasis. He said the disclosure of the program "makes it harder to win this war on terror."

Here's what I don't understand: This program was being done legally using subpoenas. What was the public interest or benefit in the world knowing about this program? I believe that there are elements in the media who hate President Bush so much that they try to discredit him at every turn. Whatever one's opinion of President Bush, claims that he presents a serious threat to the civil liberties of everyday citizens are extremist, if not paranoid.

All this report did was weaken our country in its ability to find terrorists throughout the world.

I think that it would be reasonable to accuse whoever leaked this information to the media, as well as whoever reported it, of treason.

Comments

[JMC]

Its a sad truth that there are American citizens who are so enamored of the socialist ideology that,regardless of who is in office, they actively work to weaken the country. This may sound just as paranoid as the threat to civil liberties meme; however, a look at history shows that such people will patiently work over periods of GENERATIONS to achieve their ends. That is precisely how the Communists came to power in North Korea and North Vietnam.
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Nice move, resurrecting that "Loose Lips" poster, by the way!

[Nathan Hicks]

What fools. I can't believe I live in a country that wants to destroy itself.

[Denver Catholic]

Far more Iraqis are hurt and killed by these things that are bought withe the money that the Tiems has now made unstoppable ahd anrder to trace. Women, children especially. They tend to plant the damnable things in marketplaces anymore to cause the maximum amount of casualties. We generally have armor, and are on alert. They are jsut trying to get their daily bread.

The NYT should be ashamed!

If I come back short a limb, I'll be sure to send the bill to th NYTimes for allowing the financiers who paid for the bomb parts and the bombers in Iraq to run free and buy more stuff to kill innocents with - and maim soldiers and civilians with.

God have mercy on those people at the NYT and turn their hearts from the evil and hatred that has obviously consumed thier reason and judgement.

Maybe if more of their sons and daughers were over in the sandbox instead of loafing at some elite east coast ivy league school, or some cushy brokerage job, they'd see things differently - and clearly what evil they have done.

[Agnello]

I'm not so sure about this issue. What makes a democracy function is it's openess and transparency. Givernment derives its legitimacy by upholding the law and doing so in a way that leaves no room for ambiguity.
Bush is on thin ice at the moment. There seem to be teams of snatch squads operating around the world in the name of the US, whisking people to Guantanamo. Guantanamo seems like the Gulags of the Soviet era where people are held without trial and treated in a brutal way.
If in combattng a perceived threat you behave in the same way as the agressor well I think something is seriously wrong.
The European Union is losing faith with Bush and soon he will stand alone in Iraq having started something he cannot possibly finish.
So do I thing the journalists were right in this case? Yes on balance I think so. Government must be open. Too many abuses can creep in when under the counter stuff is approved. Today it's the terrorists - tomorrow it could be the political opponents.

[JMC]

Government must be open, yes, but a country also has a right to protect itself, and part of that protection involves keeping secret certain actions or programs designed to hamper the enemy.