I read Bill Keller's response to the anti-terrorist bank data story this afternoon. (Of course I will not post a link because I will not give the NYT any web traffic.) What an absolute pompous ass! To try to blame the right wing blogs and media on the uproar is just plain stupid. His explanations for publishing classified national security info were insipid and belonged in a kindergarten classroom.
Treasury Secretary Snow was not pleased with Keller's response either. Snow fired off a letter to Keller, responding to his ridiculous excuses for potentially damaging our anti-terror efforts. Here's a few snips for your reading enjoyment... Never mind - after reading Snow's letter again, I've got to post the whole thing... Here it is from National Review's Kathryn Jean Lopez...
Mr. Bill Keller, Managing Editor
The New York Times
229 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
Dear Mr. Keller:
The New York Times' decision to disclose the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program, a robust and classified effort to map terrorist networks through the use of financial data, was irresponsible and harmful to the security of Americans and freedom-loving people worldwide. In choosing to expose this program, despite repeated pleas from high-level officials on both sides of the aisle, including myself, the Times undermined a highly successful counter-terrorism program and alerted terrorists to the methods and sources used to track their money trails.
Your charge that our efforts to convince The New York Times not to publish were "half-hearted" is incorrect and offensive. Nothing could be further from the truth. Over the past two months, Treasury has engaged in a vigorous dialogue with the Times - from the reporters writing the story to the D.C. Bureau Chief and all the way up to you. It should also be noted that the co-chairmen of the bipartisan 9-11 Commission, Governor Tom Kean and Congressman Lee Hamilton, met in person or placed calls to the very highest levels of the Times urging the paper not to publish the story. Members of Congress, senior U.S. Government officials and well-respected legal authorities from both sides of the aisle also asked the paper not to publish or supported the legality and validity of the program.
Indeed, I invited you to my office for the explicit purpose of talking you out of publishing this story. And there was nothing "half-hearted" about that effort. I told you about the true value of the program in defeating terrorism and sought to impress upon you the harm that would occur from its disclosure. I stressed that the program is grounded on solid legal footing, had many built-in safeguards, and has been extremely valuable in the war against terror. Additionally, Treasury Under Secretary Stuart Levey met with the reporters and your senior editors to answer countless questions, laying out the legal framework and diligently outlining the multiple safeguards and protections that are in place.
You have defended your decision to compromise this program by asserting that "terror financiers know" our methods for tracking their funds and have already moved to other methods to send money. The fact that your editors believe themselves to be qualified to assess how terrorists are moving money betrays a breathtaking arrogance and a deep misunderstanding of this program and how it works. While terrorists are relying more heavily than before on cumbersome methods to move money, such as cash couriers, we have continued to see them using the formal financial system, which has made this particular program incredibly valuable.
Lastly, justifying this disclosure by citing the "public interest" in knowing information about this program means the paper has given itself free license to expose any covert activity that it happens to learn of - even those that are legally grounded, responsibly administered, independently overseen, and highly effective. Indeed, you have done so here.
What you've seemed to overlook is that it is also a matter of public interest that we use all means available - lawfully and responsibly - to help protect the American people from the deadly threats of terrorists. I am deeply disappointed in the New York Times.
Sincerely,
[signed]John W. Snow, Secretary
U.S. Department of the Treasury
DAMN - that is gonna leave a mark!
So the "half-hearted attempt" at explaining how damaging the story could be to the anti-terror program turns out to be so much more. The President, top members of his cabinet, members of the 9/11 commission and Congressmen from both sides of the aisle telling Keller not to publish the story - but in his infinite wisdom Keller decided that HE was a better judge of what served the public's interest the most. Keller must have taken journalism classes from Jayson Blair.
Snow's letter is a damning indictment of Keller, Risen, Lichtblau and the NYT. I hope AG Gonzalez is paying attention.
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