On Leaks

The National Security Agency leak story has captivated a certain audience in the U.S.- the mainstream media. There are Americans that are upset about it, but as polls have shown, most of us approve of a program that tries to head off National Security threats BEFORE they happen. This is the big leap that the Left has difficulty accepting. The New York Times tries to justify their obession in an editorial. Some points:

• I agree that information obtained without a warrant should not be used in a criminal trial. I don't care as much about using it in a trial as I do preventing a crime from taking place. If wiretaps used to obtain prior warning of a crime prevent that crime, than I am satisfied. Wiretaps, as used by the NSA, are meant to be a preventative measure. As such the warrant issue doesn't matter that much to me.
• I think that the NYT did not violate the law by publishing the report. In my opinion it was a poor decision, and politically motivated. That does not have bearing on its legality. I also think the timing of their decision to publish was motivated by money. The issue of timing is one that was raised by the NYT's own Public Editor, Byron Calame.
• I think the individual that leaked the information should be prosecuted to the fullest extent. The law seems to demand that and the Times tries to deny it, however they were among the most enthusiastic supporters into the Plame kerfuffle, a scandal that never was. If you recall, no one has been accused of the alleged crime that is being investigated. The wiretapping story seems a clearer case of serious misbehavior.

The Times' motives in the leak story are base. The timing of the story is suspect. The individual that leaked the information violated the law.