Washington Post Outs 'Sissy Six'

The Washington Post is going to war with Congress over a story that it ran yesterday in which it divulged classified information from multiple sources in the CIA.

GOP Leaders Urge Probe in Prisons Leak

Congress's top Republican leaders yesterday demanded an immediate joint House and Senate investigation into the disclosure of classified information to The Washington Post that detailed a web of secret prisons being used to house and interrogate terrorism suspects.

No need to say much more than that. Now, on to the defense.

Such referrals are made at the rate of three to four per week, according to intelligence officials.

Ahh, those illusive ‘intelligence officials’ again.

The Post did not publish the names of the Eastern European countries involved, at the request of senior U.S. officials. The article said the officials argued that the disclosure might disrupt counterterrorism efforts in those countries and elsewhere, and could make them targets of terrorist retaliation.

Well, what about Thailand? The Thais have been long standing allies of the United States. Does the Post not care if terrorists retaliate there? Do 'intelligence officials' not care?

Lawmakers from both parties immediately expressed misgivings about the request. Democrats pounced on it, suggesting that if the GOP leaders believe the disclosure of information on secret prisons deserves to be investigated, so does the leak of inaccurate intelligence on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction and White House officials identifying Plame as a covert CIA operative.

Newsflash for Democrats: We just had investigations into Plame and came away with very little. We will be entertaining the Democrat's defense of Saddam soon enough.

The Post goes on to quote a couple of lawmakers that support their position. Of course, no one in the article actually defends the actions of the leakers or the Post. Nor do they make the opposing point made so many times during the Valerie Plame debacle; that divulging classified information is illegal and dangerous for the country and its allies. They once again try to turn it into a WMD discussion. They make generic statements such as:

More generally, Republicans suggested it is unwise to pick a fight with the media over an issue that exposes so many political vulnerabilities for their party.

Oh Bull. We have known about these detention centers for quite a while. We can argue whether or not terrorists deserve due process or if water boarding is torture until we all keel over. That does not excuse those ‘intelligence officials’ which turn to the press to affect a political outcome by exposing real classified information. Dana Priest should be brought before Congress or a Grand Jury, just as Judy Miller, and told to give up her many sources inside the CIA.

Then it gets hilarious. In an Op-ed, the Post calls those that might have influence on the situation sissies. Dumb move.

Tough Times for the 'Sissy Six'

Then there are the half-dozen senators negotiating this week over a new intelligence committee probe: "The Sissy Six."

The Democratic members of the Sissy Six -- Jay D. Rockefeller IV (W.Va), Carl M. Levin (Mich.) and Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) -- filed through the frosted-glass doors of the intelligence committee office just after 10 a.m. Two Republican members -- Bond and Trent Lott (Miss.) -- followed, but Roberts kept them waiting until 10:15.

An entire article with no point other than to coin a term.

I have an idea. Polygraph everyone at the CIA. Ask them; ‘have you ever divulged classified information to the press in an unauthorized manner?’ I would start with Valerie Plame.

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