ninme

First: On Friday, a local nutcase called one of the local daily radio talk shows to tell the host that he had no reason to be upset about the Times reporting on the SWIFT thing. Why? Well, “if it isn’t illegal, why is it classified?”

So, apparently it’s important to understand that the political left thinks that the Administration only makes secret what it’s doing that’s illegal.

Ergo, obviously it’s a good thing that the Times unilaterally declassified it.

Then yesterday I caught a bit of the panel discussion on Fox News Sunday, and Juan Williams said that the Times’ disclosure was a good thing because it removed that means of transferring money from the terrorists. Very tactical, you see. Sure it’s driving them underground, but it’s also decreasing their options.

And besides, he said, it’s important that the Administration have oversight. No one pointed out to him that that’s actually what we have a duly elected Congress for. No, he thinks it’s the job of the NYT to decide which of the Administration’s endeavors should be allowed to continue.

So, it’s important again to understand that the political left doesn’t believe in elections (see: FEMA director Brown, Katrina response, Iraqi elections, and this guy), they put all their power in the President, and since this President is a Republican then obviously everything he does is illegal, so it’s necessary that organizations like the NYT provide oversight to stop him from what he’s doing.

Instapundit - BILL KELLER ISN’T VERY BRIGHT…
Instapundit - BUSH CRITICIZES THE NEW YORK TIMES…
LGF - LA Times: The Decider
LGF - President Bush: NY Times “Disgraceful”
Power Line - The Times and the mob
Power Line - A word from Lt. Cotton
Power Line - Bush Blasts New York Times
Power Line - Let’s Not Forget About the Other Times

LA Times Washington Bureau Chiefe Doyle McManus, linked to in the first LGF link:

…and we have to weigh that against the legitimate public interest in knowing whether the government is changing the rules…

President Bush, 9/01:

We will direct every resource at our command… every financial influence, and every necessary weapon of war — to the destruction and to the defeat of the global terror network. … We will ask and we will need the help of …banking systems around the world.

So, finally, thank you very much Mr LA Times, but I think the President told us himself about the rules changes four years and ten months ago.