Some More Good Questions
It looks like at least some members of the media have had enough of the bullying by the current regime. From an editorial in today's Minneapolis Star Tribune:
President Bush's denunciation of newspapers that exposed the secret use of international wire-transfer information to track terrorists rings hollow. For years the administration has publicly included financial investigations in its arsenal of methods for tracking terrorists. Therefore, people all over the world -- certainly including members of Al-Qaida -- could assume the United States was using that tool. Indeed, the Los Angeles Times reported that Al-Qaida "long ago began transferring money through other means" than the banking system.
If financial investigations were assumed, why is Bush asserting that this program's exposure is "disgraceful" and does "great harm" to the United States? To us the steady drumbeat of attacks on the press -- which Vice President Dick Cheney and Treasury Secretary John Snow began immediately after the first stories came out on Friday -- actually looks like the tactics of a cornered administration playing defense by going on the offense, thus avoiding the real issues: Is this program lawful? If so, how does it protect the privacy of financial data? Does it undermine the integrity of the international banking system? Are adequate systems in place to prevent abuse?
...Privacy advocate Steven Aftergood said of Bush administration officials, "Their policy is 'Trust us,' and that may not be good enough anymore." It isn't good enough, sorry to say. This administration's expansive claims of power -- and not only this latest use of them -- must be scrutinized at every turn. [Emphasis added]
In the past, we have always counted on our free press to do that kind of scrutiny. It is beginning to look like at least some members of that estate are ready, willing, and able to perform that essential civic duty once again.
Sic'em!
President Bush's denunciation of newspapers that exposed the secret use of international wire-transfer information to track terrorists rings hollow. For years the administration has publicly included financial investigations in its arsenal of methods for tracking terrorists. Therefore, people all over the world -- certainly including members of Al-Qaida -- could assume the United States was using that tool. Indeed, the Los Angeles Times reported that Al-Qaida "long ago began transferring money through other means" than the banking system.
If financial investigations were assumed, why is Bush asserting that this program's exposure is "disgraceful" and does "great harm" to the United States? To us the steady drumbeat of attacks on the press -- which Vice President Dick Cheney and Treasury Secretary John Snow began immediately after the first stories came out on Friday -- actually looks like the tactics of a cornered administration playing defense by going on the offense, thus avoiding the real issues: Is this program lawful? If so, how does it protect the privacy of financial data? Does it undermine the integrity of the international banking system? Are adequate systems in place to prevent abuse?
...Privacy advocate Steven Aftergood said of Bush administration officials, "Their policy is 'Trust us,' and that may not be good enough anymore." It isn't good enough, sorry to say. This administration's expansive claims of power -- and not only this latest use of them -- must be scrutinized at every turn. [Emphasis added]
In the past, we have always counted on our free press to do that kind of scrutiny. It is beginning to look like at least some members of that estate are ready, willing, and able to perform that essential civic duty once again.
Sic'em!
posted by Diane at 3:59 PM
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