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Home Front: Politix
Kerry - It's OK To Leak Classified Info 'To Tell The Truth'
2006-04-23
That didn't take long. Via DRUDGE.
Former presidential candidate John Kerry has come to the defense of a fired CIA officer accused of disclosing classified information to the press. "I'm glad she told the truth but she's going to obviously -- if she did it, if she did it, suffer the consequences of breaking the law,' Kerry explained to ABC THIS WEEK.
I wonder if he'd have said the same thing if this was done during the Clinton Administration?
Told the truth? If it's true why can't the EU prove it to be true? I think Ms. McCarthy got caught in a sting.
ABC 'THIS WEEK' HOST GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: On another -- on another front, excuse me, CIA official Mary McCarthy lost her job this week for disclosing classified information according to the CIA probably about a WASHINGTON POST story which reveal revealed the existence of secret prisons in Europe. A lot of different views. Senator Pat Roberts praised action but some former CIA officers described Mary McCarthy as a sacrificial lamb acting in the finest American tradition by revealing human rights violations. What's your view?
Hanging curve, middle of the plate...
SEN. KERRY: Well, I read that. I don't know whether she did it or not so it's hard to have a view on it. Here's my fundamental view of this, that you have somebody being fired from the CIA for allegedly telling the truth, and you have no one fired from the white house for revealing a CIA agent in order to support a lie. That underscores what's really wrong in Washington, DC Here.
Except that Ms. Plame wasn't revealed, Johnny, and Ms. McCarthy did indeed violate her signed security agreement.
STEPHANOPOULOS: That's one issue of hypocrisy but should a CIA officer be able to make decisions on his or her --

KERRY: ... Of course not. Of course, not. A CIA agent has the obligation to uphold the law and clearly leaking is against the law, and nobody should leak. I don't like leaking. But if you're leaking to tell the truth, Americans are going to look at that, at least mitigate or think about what are the consequences that you, you know, put on that person. Obviously they're not going to keep their job, but there are other larger issues here. You know, classification in Washington is a tool that is used to hide the truth from the American people. Daniel Patrick Moynihan was eloquent and forceful in always talking about how we needed to, you know, end this endless declassification that takes place in this city, and it has become a tool to hide the truth from Americans.
So it's OK to break the law if you're telling the truth? Right. Got it...
Talk to the Clintons about using national security laws to hide political truths ...
STEPHANOPOULOS: These --

SEN. KERRY: So I'm glad she told the truth but she's going to obviously -- if she did it, if she did it, suffer the consequences of breaking the law.
A classic Kerry StraddleTM!
Posted by:Raj

#22  This fatuous, bubble-brained twit came within a few thousand votes of being our President and the Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces. God have mercy upon us if we ever let these shitheads back in power.


Says it all right there!
Posted by: Crusader   2006-04-23 15:41  

#21  So, what Kerry is saying is that those massive volumes of fiction written over the decades by college interns tripping on LSD which contain nothing remotely realistic should be kept secret under penalty of law. But, leaking the truth is exceptable secret behavior.
Kerry is an asshole. Kerry is a democrat. All demmocrats are _______s.
Posted by: wxjames   2006-04-23 15:26  

#20  Hee hee LOL!
Posted by: 6   2006-04-23 15:11  

#19  Did he pick a side, support the US, or say anything worth quoting? Nope, nothing new here.

Except you ol Darth! Your truth tellin has ruined my business of selling girls underware to him to wear under his French suits. Now what am I gonna do? Damn the truth.
Posted by: 49 Pan   2006-04-23 14:07  

#18  Robert, I don't wonder.

And neither do you.

We both know. As does just about everyone here.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2006-04-23 14:06  

#17  Once you remember that Kerry's been an active traitor since the early '70s, his comments make sense.

Mind you, that makes me wonder about the rest of the people rushing to McCarthy's defense...
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2006-04-23 13:21  

#16  Somehow, I think he'll change his tune should a Democrat become president.
Posted by: Secret Master   2006-04-23 13:19  

#15  This kind of simple-headedness and two-faced behavior is why john "traitor" kerry should swing by the neck until his body rots and the rope can no longer hold the pieces together. What a totally stupid, idiotic, moronic little twit. The dummycritters should never be allowed to live down nominating this idiot for president of the United States.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2006-04-23 13:08  

#14  The Clintagon Papers (TM)

NYT, WaPo, BosGlob, El-Lay Timez, Beebus Succubus, et al...
Posted by: Gletle Glang6150   2006-04-23 12:40  

#13  Somebody should leak his entire personnel file from the DoD.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-04-23 12:30  

#12  Release your military records, Lurch.
Posted by: Captain America   2006-04-23 12:23  

#11  This should put him at the head of the pack for the 2008 nomination.
Posted by: Perfessor   2006-04-23 12:19  

#10  "You know, classification in Washington is a tool that is used to hide the truth from the American people."
Classification is a tool that is used to hide the truth from everyone, especially enemies, for the ultimate benefit the American people.
Posted by: Darrell   2006-04-23 12:02  

#9  First: "You know, classification in Washington is a tool that is used to hide the truth from the American people."

Bullshit Senator. Classification is used to protect data, sources and methods , the disclosure of which could be reasonably expecte to caus from moderate to extremely grave damage to the security of the United States of America. Only in your "reliving the 60's" bullshit world does it mean what you choose it to mean in your statement.

Lets see as I published elsehwere:
U.S.C. Title 18, Part I Ch 37 Sec 793 Gathering, transmitting or losing defense information
U.S.C. Title 18, Part I Ch 37 Sec 798 Disclosure of classified information

I dont see ANY exemptions there for "telling the truth".

Bottom line is:

They took information that damaged the securoty of the United stats and was legally classified, then published it to MAKE MONEY or for POLITICAL GAIN.

For the reporters, they simply *sold* secrets (published in newspapaers that were sold for that conent), same as any spy like Hannasen or the Walkers who sold secrests to the Soviets for personal financial gain.

McCarthy did it for Political motivations - same as John Pollard who gave secrets to the Israelis for political reasons.

Both the reporters and McCarthy should be going to prison. They KNEW what they were doing was wrong, but their own imperatives of political and monetary gain were more important to them than was the law and the nations security, so they disregarded the law.

Like the Walkers and Pollard, they should be put in jail for the same crimes. And condemned just as roundly. Anyone with an ounce of integrity woudl be saying so, instead of tryign to excuse them in order to make political hay liek the Democrats.

That being said, Demcrats DISGUST me with this behavior - I could NEVER vote for them. (and can hardly see myself voting for the current crop of dickless wonders the Republicans have there who do nothing about border security, judges, taxes - act like a majority or you will not have to worry about it much longer!).

The situation is that simple regarding the law and the morals of the situation. These are not heroes, they are only the latest incarnation of the Walkers and Pollard - people out for personal gain at the expense of the security of the nation.

Too bad Kerry and other apologists are such simpletons and refuse to see that.
Posted by: Oldspook   2006-04-23 12:01  

#8  Too bad she didn't tell the truth. Those "prisons" don't exist and never did.
Posted by: Parabellum   2006-04-23 11:57  

#7  This fatuous, bubble-brained twit came within a few thousand votes of being our President and the Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces. God have mercy upon us if we ever let these shitheads back in power.

Posted by: Dave D.   2006-04-23 11:56  

#6  and to think he came close to being president OMG
Posted by: Jan   2006-04-23 11:51  

#5  Depends entirely on who's Ox gets gored.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2006-04-23 11:49  

#4  OK, Jf'inK, how about I leak that you're spoiled, whiny, loser loon living on your wife's dead husband's money.

Oh, wait - that's only classified if you're a Democrat. :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2006-04-23 11:41  

#3  Is he talking like this because she gave to his campaign?
Posted by: plainslow   2006-04-23 11:38  

#2  So... it is ok to tell the press about your secret panty wearing? 'Cus it is ok as long as it is the truth, right?
Posted by: DarthVader   2006-04-23 11:24  

#1  You know, classification in Washington is a tool that is used to hide the truth from the American people.

He has a remarkable grasp and understanding of the intelligence process.
Posted by: Besoeker   2006-04-23 10:57  

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