September 12, 2007: American
intelligence agencies, especially the CIA, are becoming more aggressive in
complaining openly about politically motivated leaks, and the damage they do.
These complaints have long been restricted to classified meetings with members
of Congress. This would usually lead to a temporary reduction in the number of
leaks. The problem is that too many politicians have access to classified data,
and too many of them cannot resist the temptation to use that stuff for
political gain. Too many are leaking too much and getting lots of people
killed.
Journalists always stand ready
to take these leaks and run with them. But now U.S. intel agencies are forcing
politicians to face up to the deadly results of those leaks. People die, or
suffer other losses (homes, jobs, kin, reputations, peace-of-mind and so on).
It's too easy to ignore these losses if you don't know about them. These losses
are often kept secret in order to prevent further damage. But the war on terror
is putting a lot more people at risk, not so much from the personal peril, but
from leaked secrets that tell the terrorists where to attack.
