Glenn Greenwald:Why are Bush supporters celebrating today's leak

[cal04]

Why are Bush supporters celebrating today's leak of classified information
John Amato astutely asks an excellent question: why are all of the Bush supporters celebrating the unauthorized leak to the Daily News of the FBI's arrests of alleged terrorists who were talking in Internet chat rooms about blowing up the Holland Tunnel (later news reports indicated that the plot was really aimed at the PATH commuter train)?

One Bush follower after the next who has been furiously protesting the publication of leaks by the NYT and other newspapers -- almost all of whom has accused the NYT of treason, of providing aid and comfort to their Al Qaeda friends, etc. for reporting leaked classified information -- have written today about this leaked story. But all of them are ecstatic over this story, celebrating it as a great and heroic blow for the Bush administration and as proof that The Terrorists really are the Epic Threat they've been claiming. And almost none of them are protesting the unauthorized leak, let alone calling for the reporters and editors at the Daily News to be sent to gas chambers or put in federal prison for the rest of their lives.

Their celebratory reaction to this leak is particularly noteworthy given that the Daily News article itself acknowledged that its source told it that the leaked law enforcement investigation "is an ongoing operation." And the FBI claims that this leak has jeopardized foreign intelligence sources:


Disclosure of the bomb plot coincided with the one-year anniversary of a terrorist bomb attack on London subways and a bus that killed 52 and injured about 700. Authorities said they hadn't intended to release details about the plot this early and that whoever leaked the information had compromised the FBI's relationship with some foreign intelligence services.

more
http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2006/07/why-are-bush-supporters-celebrating.html

http://www.crooksandliars.com/posts/2006/07/07/wheres-the-outrage-over-the-daily-news-bomb-tunnel-story/

[Mythsaje]

1. Good propaganda vs. bad propaganda...

If it serves their purposes, it's good. If it doesn't, it's bad.

[Straight Shooter]

2. Remember when bush leaked info found on the laptop?

He was boasting about the info found on a terrorist's laptop computer, and, by revealing specifics of that info, he jeapordized the U.K.'s ability to fight terrorism.

As I recall, his leak of that info may have in a small way contributed to the July 7, 2005 bombing, because it compromised intelligence efforts to track would-be bombers.

Repubs have double standards for everything, and remember, no matter what, IOIYAR. (It's okay if you're a Republican.)

[Kutjara]

3. All very convenient.

So, a year after the 7/7 London attacks, the FBI just happens to uncover a plot here in the US and, guess what, It's a plot to blow up trains (or maybe cars but, hey, its in a tunnel, which is what really counts). Well, I'll be damned. That was a close one. Wait for the discovery of a plot to blow up a couple of landmark buildings that we should be hearing about in...ooh...I'd guess mid September.

Once again, it looks like the FBI has uncovered a really dangerous and professional crew. Who but a team of connsumate professionals would use Internet chat rooms to plan a terrorist act? Yep, these guys are cut from the same cloth as the Miami boys. Here's a transcript of the Internet chat that got these dangerous hombres busted:

FIST OF ALLAH (FOA): Yo Dwyane...uh...I mean Mustafah. Wassup?
SMITE THE INFIDEL (STI): Peace be unto you, dude. Got any plans for the weekend?
FOA: Nah. I thought I might kick it at the mosque or see X-Men or something.
STI: By the Prophet's beard, that sounds hella dull, man. Come hang wit us, we got something going on.
FOA: For real? Whatcha doin'?
STI: Well, you know how we are all like totally badass Muslims and want to overthrow the corrupt West and shit?
FOA: Yeah?
STI: Well Wendy...I mean Fatima has a cousin who can get hold of a buncha fireworks from Carolina, yeah?
FOA: Cool.
STI: So we thought we go into town and put 'em on a train and, kinda, you know, blow it up or whatever. Then we'll prolly go to McDs.
FOA: That is sooo cool.
STI: So ya comin'?
FOA: I can't man, my mom wants me to hang around the house this weekend.
STI: Bummer, she is so harsh.
FOA: Tell me about it. I'm gonna whack a Fatwa on her ass one of these days.
STI: You'd be totally right to do that, dude.
FOA: Anyway, give me a call and tell me how the train bombing works out.
STI: Will do. Want anything from town?
FOA: Can you pick me up a new Galabiyya? I got McRib juice all over my old one.
STI: No prob, dude.
FOA: Laterz
STI: Laterz

[struggle4progress]

7. ROFLMAO

[Gabi Hayes]

4. I saw somebody blowing his/her STACK over this on cable today.

the gist of the exchange was that some unnamed government source for the reporter was apoplectic over this leak, for just the reasons freepers are celebrating

[cal04]

5. John Amato's conversation with the NY Daily News

I called the NY Daily News columnist, ALLISON GENDAR, who was one of the journalists that broke this story today:

(snip)
I knew it was going to be a hectic day in the newsroom, but I asked her if she thought that the Daily News would be attacked like the NY Times was since this is still an ongoing investigation and her paper printed the story anyway. She quickly said she had to go, but said I could call back. Where is the outrage from the administration and the right wing bloggers over The Daily News possibly compromising an ongoing investigation? I don’t wish to cause the NY Daily News problems, but you can see where I’m headed here. It sure looks like the government leaked this story to The Daily News to make itself look good. Crawfordslist feels the same way. The NY Times was set up by the administration and is still being attacked over idiotic stories. This NY Daily News Story is more proof of that. I’ll have more after I contact The Daily News again.

Liberal Catnip looks at the reaction by the right wing bloggers which is amazingly silent on this point.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/

[tavalon]

6. Oh my!

Hypocrisy from the reicht wing! I'm shocked, I tell ya, shocked.

[GeorgeGist]

8. Easy answer?

because the story isn't true, perhaps.

[leesa]

9. Because they were told to. They do whatever their teevees tell them to do