I’m awaiting the firestorm of blog-fueled criticism against Republican Pete Hoekstra who received classified information from a leaker about one secret anti-terror program kept top-secret by the president. Where are you, Ms Malkin? No outrage at the whistle-blower’s treason, Mr Levin? It’s perfectly clear by now that President Bush and Vice-President Cheney do not regard merely the American press as the enemy of their anti-terrorism efforts; they also regard lap-dog Republican members of the relevant intelligence committees as foes. Today, we find that Hoekstra was informed of programs kept from Congress by an inside informant. He tells the NYT:
"This is actually a case where the whistle-blower process was working appropriately. Some people within the intelligence community brought to my attention some programs that they believed we had not been briefed on. They were right."
What we’re seeing in the multiple leaks both to the press and now to congressmen shut out from oversight of administration policies is a widespread government revolt against its political leaders. It’s not that hard to be a journalist in Washington right now. Just sit there and countless troubled, angered and concerned soldiers, CIA agents, State Department officials will track you down and tell you how out-of-control the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld clique has become. This isn’t just sad; it’s dangerous. The Bush policy of seizing power from Congress and the courts, breaking the law, violating treaty obligations and ignoring the settled procedures for intelligence-gathering and detainee treatment has actually led to more leaks and less secrecy than if they had played by the rules. Once again, the rank arrogance of these people, which is connected in many cases with rank incompetence, has made us less, rather than more, secure. And it has forced many loyal competent concerned government professionals into releasing secrets they would have kept under a more rational and law-abiding executive.
The Dish 