Editorial & Commentary

THE BUSH LEAK

Editorial

In a recent U.S. federal court filing, Vice-President Cheney's former Chief of Staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby testified before a grand jury that he was authorized by President George W. Bush and Vice-President Cheney to leak classified information to New York Times reporter Judith Miller.

     This classified information involved portions of a National Intelligence Estimate regarding Saddam Hussein's purported efforts to develop nuclear weapons.

     In October 2003, President Bush made his views known on the leaking of classified intelligence: "I don't know anyone in my administration who has leaked. If anyone did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and will take the appropriate action."

     The claim that Bush approved the leaking of classified information is an extremely serious issue for two reasons. First: It's a reminder of how Bush was prepared to leak classified information to support the U.S. invasion of Iraq (while withholding other classified information that contradicted the case for war).

     Secondly: Bush now looks particularly hypocritical after recently blasting the news media (and others) for leaking information about the unauthorized surveillance of Americans by the National Security Agency.

     Whether President Bush or Vice-President Cheney have subverted any laws is a matter for constitutional lawyers to discuss. But the claim by Libby sheds a dark light on the administration. As former Presidential counsel John Dean writes in the online journal Find Law: "At a minimum, the filing indicates that the President and Vice President, in particular, exceeded his declassification authority. And it may indicate that they, too, ought to be targets of the grand jury."

     Even some Republican lawmakers are raising concerns about the Bush leak. For example, Senator Arlen Specter recently stated that: "I do say that there's been enough of a showing here with what's been filed of record in court that the president of the United States owes a specific explanation to the American people ... about exactly what he did."

     These recent developments illustrate once again how the Bush administration hasn't been forthright with Americans. And recent polls indicate more Americans are displeased with the president. For example: A new Washington Post-ABC poll found that only 38 percent of people approved of the job the president is doing --while sixty percent disapprove of his performance.

     As the bloodshed in Iraq continues, the White House faces critical issues on the home front. The failed congressional deal on immigration means the administration must take some initiative now. There's also post-Katrina New Orleans. As Mike Davis writes in The Nation magazine: "Bush's pledge to 'get the work done quickly' and mount 'one of the largest reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen' has proved to be the same fool's gold as his earlier guarantee to rebuild Iraq's bombed-out infrastructure."

     Much of the discussion among the Washington press corps these days is whether the Democrats will benefit from Bush's growing unpopularity in November's mid-term elections. But more importantly we must ask whether the Bush administration --with just over two-and-years left in its mandate-- can start governing with more integrity and for the common good.