This is from a few weeks ago, but I wanted to touch on it for larger reasons. I care less about the specific issue and more the underlying principal pointed out by Sen Kerry:
Sen. John Kerry is defending CIA leaker Mary McCarthy, who was fired by the agency on Friday for revealing classified information about secret CIA interrogations of top al-Qaida suspects.
"If you're leaking to tell the truth, Americans are going to look at that [and] at least mitigate or think about what are the consequences that you, you know, put on that person," Kerry told ABC's "This Week." — NewsMax.com
John Kerry doesn't think it's as bad to leak National Intelligence Secrets if they are TRUE. So let's think this through… National Secrets that are true and correct are not as bad to leak as the opposite – which is what? False Nation Secrets? And what would false secrets be? Something someone made up that wasn't true… is that even LEAKING anymore if it isn't true? If you make something up and let it out that would fall under disinformation or perhaps smear tatics – but "leaking" doesn't seem to fit the bill anymore.
Wouldn't "true" classified information be the only kind of information that other countries, terrorists, ect would be interested in? Otherwise, the information isn't of any use if it isn't accurate, except of course for the previously mentioned disinformation and/or PR reasons (pro or con).
Now, of course, the real reason Kerry is trying to support Mrs. McCarthy is that her leak was bad for Bush and bad for the Republicans, but he can't say that. So he is reaching for some tertiary excuse to prop her up. The problem is that in the process he not only sounds rediculous, but he actually argues the opposite of the "truth". Leaks of accurate, true intelligence information are much worse for the country than dispersing dis-information or making up tall tales that sound good (or bad as the case may be).
The Democrats need to stop focusing on this anti-Bush mentatliy. He can't be re-elected. In a few years no matter what either party does – he's done. The result of this hatred of Bush are these wild swipes at the adminstration any chance they get. The problem is that since they don't seem to care what cause they are supporting to discredit the White House, they end up with poor bed partners that – in the end – do nothing but discredit themselves. What are they teaching in Poli Sci classes these days?