I learned of NYT Executive Editor Bill Keller’s WSJ letter on the radio this afternoon. Not to sound like a broken record, but I am left (almost) speechless that this is what passes for an argument on national security issues.

Mr. Keller laments that anyone would call the actions of his kind political. I’ll leave the heavy lifting in that area others more qualified than I, but submit to you that this is really only political in-as-much as one believes – or not – that we are at war. In war leaking merits the severest of punishments, so if we’re at war, the leakers and those who helped facilitate those leaks need to meet the tossed salad man.

I can see how many in the press might be confused about whether we’re at war or not. Al-Qaida started shooting years ago and our national security apparatus really only started paying attention after it had no choice. It is also easy to confuse what is going on in Afghanistan and Iraq with the WOT. Hint: they are related but not the same thing. We’ll leave Afghanistan; we’ll leave Iraq; we’ll be fighting terrorists for a long time to come. Anything someone does to undermine that fight, is an act that will help us lose.

Mr. Keller would have you believe that there is no difference between declassification authority and leaking; the former being what the President is authorized by law to do, the latter being a crime. The NYT paragons of journalistic virtue are supposedly just reporting news for consumers to evaluate on their own, but the fact that they deliberately confuse a simple subject like this for an ill-informed audience tells you all you need to know about their true motivations. They’re happy to call analysis of their work slanted, but refuse to divulge all they know so as to appear to be the slighted ones.

People reading these stories need to keep in mind that these secret organizations, their rules and machinations; they seem weird and scary but they’re there for a reason. This is the system that has developed over time by the governments you have elected. You don’t like it? You have recourse: educate yourselves (beyond what the papers and TV feed you) and vote.

If you can’t be bothered, I hope you can rest easy knowing that you have punted your safety not to graduates of West Point or Annapolis, but journalism school.

*Apologies to Helen.

About the Author

Michael Tanji

Michael Tanji spent nearly 20 years in the US intelligence community. Trained in both SIGINT and HUMINT disciplines he has worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the National Reconnaissance Office. At various points in his career he served as an expert in information warfare, computer network operations, computer forensics, and indications and warning. A veteran of the US Army, Michael has served in both strategic and tactical assignments in the Pacific Theater, the Balkans, and the Middle East.