Progressive Minds

Republicans are continuing to show who they really are.  And their words and actions suggest that they care more about their political viability and interests, than they care about America.

Responding to the New York Times article that disclosed information about a Treasury Department banking surveillance program, House Speaker Denny Hastert said "loose lips kill Americans."

Well let's talk about loose lips, Speaker Hastert.

Let's talk about the loose lips (within the Bush Administration) that revealed the identity of Valerie Plame, a covert CIA operative with unofficial cover. Let's talk about the fact that the CIA had to do a damage assessment to ascertain the damage to national security as a result of her outing.

And the outing of Valerie Plame damaged the United States' ability to counter nuclear proliferation abroad.  Why?  Because Plame was working on issues of weapons of mass destruction relative to Iran.

What's more, its been reported that while he was CIA Director, Porter Goss refused to give to investigator Patrick Fitzgerald a damage assessment that had been done by George Tenet, detailing how many people were murdered, and the full extent of damage to national security, as a result of Plame's outing.

It's also curious that Fox News' Brian Kilmeade is now advocating a U.S. "Office of Censorship" in the wake of the New York Times banking surveillance story, but conservatives failed to advocate for such an office after Republican Robert Novak used his column to blow Valerie Plame's identity.

In other words, as far as Republicans are concerned, you have your good leaks and your bad leaks.  And in their world, it's ok to leak the identity of a covert CIA operative for purely political purposes.

But because Republicans do not want a transparent government, it's not ok for new outlets to keep the American public informed about how its government works.

Hastert: ‘Loose lips’ kill Americans

Outed CIA officer was working on Iran, intelligence sources say

Goss refuses to give Fitzgerald CIA leak damage assessment

Fox and Friends co-host Kilmeade advocates "Office of Censorship" in wake of NY Times banking surveillance story