Friday, July 15, 2005
Senate GOP Votes Against Stripping Leakers (Like Karl Rove) Of Security Clearance...
For those out there interested in the exact wording of the Reid amendment, here you go:
To prohibit Federal employees who disclose classified information to persons not authorized to receive such information from holding a security clearance.No smoke...No mirrors...Leakers lose their security clearance...A vote for national security if ever there was one.
At the end of the day, 44 Democrats thought it was a worthy proposition, 53 Republicans couldn't be bothered...
UPDATE: Josh Marshall has pegged the GOP's reaction to Karl Rove's leaking problem:
There's a point that's probably worth raising with our scofflaw Republican friends. All of their arguments now amount to excuses, like those of a small child caught stealing cookies: Joe Wilson's a liar. Plame's covert status wasn't protected well by the CIA. It was just a short phone call. Rove really wanted to speak about welfare reform. Wilson said Cheney sent him to Africa. Plame sent Wilson to Africa. Rove leaked Plame's identity in the interests of good journalism. Wilson went on too many TV shows. On and on and on.
The salient point is not that each of these claims is false. The point is that they're irrelevant. It's the mid-life version of 'He hit me first!' or 'He called me a name!' or other such foolery.
No presidential advisor should ever disclose the identity of a covert agent at the CIA. That doesn't require elaboration.
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