Dana Priest on the Framers’ Approval of Her Actions
Dana Priest says of Bill Bennett:
[H]e seems to be of the camp that the government and only the government should decide what the public should know in the area of national security. In this sense, his views run contrary to the framers of the Constitution who believed a free press was essential to maintaining not just a democracy, but a strong, vibrant democracy in which major policy is questions are debated in the open.
The framers believed that partisan government officials should have the right to disseminate classified information to partisan journalists?
Gotcha.
Or, as Allah writes in his tip about this story: “After all, why should the government decide when Dana Priest and Mary McCarthy are available to do so?”
P.S. The L.A. Times still isn’t reporting anything of the partisan ties of either woman. There are no new stories about Mary McCarthy since their last deceptive bilge, which implied that she is nonpartisan (by repeating quotes asserting that she is not an “ideologue”), while failing to report the evidence that she is indeed very much a Democrat partisan. You still pretty much have to be in tune with the blogosphere to know about McCarthy’s extensive Democrat partisan ties.
Hey, Dana Priest: if the framers were around today, the First Amendment would have an explicit protection for bloggers:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the blogosphere . . .
If they read the L.A. Times, they might even be tempted to do away with the bit about the press . . .
UPDATE: Read Jeff Goldstein. Which you should be doing anyway . . .
Didn’t the framers also pass the alien and sedition acts? those guys were lying jerks.
actus (6234ee) — 4/27/2006 @ 9:10 pmLAT, failing to update the story with critical info…
Somebody there has to break ranks and write a book. There’s an audience for it.
Vermont Neighbor (a9ae2c) — 4/27/2006 @ 9:19 pmYeah Dana, the framers adored Benedict Arnold – not. Keep in mind that not even the British liked Benedict Arnold.
Perfect Sense (024110) — 4/28/2006 @ 2:39 amI believe her point, contra Bill Bennett, was that The Decider can’t revoke the First Amendment.
Geek, Esq. (9405d1) — 4/28/2006 @ 9:38 amCatholic Dan the Mick: “Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Not another priest abuse scandal!”
*shakes fist*
Dan Collins (208fbe) — 4/28/2006 @ 9:54 amThe framers. They get all the credit.
Dan Collins (208fbe) — 4/28/2006 @ 10:02 amWhat about the joiners and the wallboard fellas? The electricians and the plumbers?
The Empire Strikes Back:
There’s a prostitution element emerging in the Duke Cunningham scandal, and federal investigators are looking for others who might have been involved. The Lefty speculation and spin machine is hard at it to tie CIA Director Porter Goss to those under investigation.
Black Jack (d8da01) — 4/28/2006 @ 10:48 amDan,
galletador (b58eba) — 4/28/2006 @ 10:51 amand you forgot the concrete crew, the dry-wallers, roofers, painters, cabinet makers, masons, carpeters, landscapers, poolmen, and lets not forget the interior decorators 😉
Black Jack:
Porter Goss’s choice to be the #3 guy at the CIA was at those drunken whorefests, and he’s under investigation for improperly awarding contracts to the criminals throwing those parties.
Close enough?
Geek, Esq. (9405d1) — 4/28/2006 @ 11:16 amActus,
So instead of having our elected representatives making such decisions, you’re OK with random members of the public (with press credentials, yawn) doing so instead?
The Left truly does not believe in democracy.
Bostonian (32f383) — 4/28/2006 @ 4:11 pmPatrick,
Lincoln (8c8518) — 4/28/2006 @ 4:30 pmBostonian is trying to introduce logic to Actus.Would I be considered supercilious if I recommended the Sisyphus myth to Bostonian?
And Actus,if you’re ever at a loss for one for one of your incisive pearls,please remember that the Founders had bowel movements,too.
Were the Framers still around to ask, they’d say that while Congress could pass no law abridging the freedom of speech or religion or the press, state legislatures had every right to do so.
Dana (a90377) — 4/28/2006 @ 4:57 pmI’d take the drunken whoremonger who can keep a secret over a boy scout who leaks like a seive.
Purple Avenger (34dd1c) — 4/28/2006 @ 9:30 pmI am a sucker for open government.
actus (6234ee) — 4/28/2006 @ 9:38 pm