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Politics : I Will Continue to Continue, to Pretend.... -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sully- who wrote (23368)	10/20/2006 8:22:07 PM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 35834

Did the Democrats Leak the NIE? Power Line (0) One of the Democrats' several September Surprises was the highly selective, and highly misleading, leak of a small portion of the recently-completed National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq. The Associated Press reported today that House Intelligence Committee chairman Peter Hoekstra has suspended a Democratic committee staffer and denied him or her access to classified information, pending an investigation into whether that staffer was the source of the NIE leak. As far as the AP's report indicates, the only evidence against the staffer is the fact that he or she "requested the document from National Intelligence Director John Negroponte three days before a Sept. 23 story by the Times on its conclusions." That could be a coincidence, of course; on the other hand, there may be more evidence of which we are unaware. If a Democratic committee staffer was responsible for the misleading and presumaably illegal leak, there could be political consequences. In a broader sense, though, I don't think it makes much difference. Historically, the Democrats haven't had to rely on committee staffers for leaks, because there are plenty of loyal, committed Democrats embedded in the intelligence agencies who willingly leak to loyal, committed Democrats who work for the New York Times, Washington Post and other media outlets. Until this point, at least, there has been no need to involve Democratic staffers in the process. Whether this particular leak from from a Democrat in an intelligence agency or a Democrat on the Hill is, in my view, of little importance. powerlineblog.com breitbart.com

To: Sully- who wrote (23368)	10/23/2006 1:12:02 PM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 35834

LEAK, LEAK, ELECT, ELECT? NEW YORK POST Editorial October 22, 2006 How far will Democrats go for partisan gain? Far enough to compromise national security? Looks that way. Late last week, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) suspended a Democratic staff member on suspicion of leaking a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) to The New York Times. The staffer's security clearance was also blocked. Initial reports on the NIE cited it as saying principally that the Iraq war had energized Islamist radicals and, in the process, increased the danger to America from jihadist terrorism. In fact, taken in its entirety, the document concluded just the opposite: that the military defeat of jihadists in Iraq would mean "fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the [war]." That's a big difference. And the selective leaking of the NIE - and the spin put on it by the Times and The Washington Post, among others - put the White House on the defensive and contributed to lagging poll numbers for both the president and the Republican Congress. Which is likely just what the leaker intended. In that light, intel committee member Ray LaHood (R-Ill.) wrote to Hoekstra last month to note that the unnamed, now-suspended staffer had requested the NIE from National Intelligence Director John Negroponte just three days before cherry-picked portions of it showed up on the front page of the Times and WashPost. As LaHood wrote in his letter: "This may, in fact, be only coincidence and simply 'look bad.' But coincidence, in this town, is rare." Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the committee, said she was outraged that the staffer was suspended and insisted that his access to classified material be reinstated. Sorry, Ms. Harman, the suspension doesn't go far enough. If there were enough cause to warrant the suspension, there should be enough cause to warrant a full and complete federal investigation. And, we mean "full and complete." Let the investigation go where it may - even if it is to the Washington, D.C., bureau of The New York Times. Leaking classified material in a time of war is bad enough. Selective and misleading leaks - for the blatantly partisan goal of discrediting the president and his agenda in an election year - are utterly reprehensible. Time to get to the bottom of this - once and for all. nypost.com