Things are not always what they seem

By Libby

Lukery at Wot Is It Good4 sees a previously unremarked danger in The White House prosecution of the two members of AIPAC for passing state secrets.

The object of this exercise has been broadly misunderstood by many who have followed it—and particularly by Iraq War critics who delight in a perceived slap-down of AIPAC. But this is tragically short-sighted. If the prosecution succeeds, the Bush Administration will have converted the Espionage Act of 1917 into something it was never intended to be: an American copy of the British Official Secrets Act. It is likely to lead quickly to efforts to criminalize journalists dealing with sensitive information in the national security sector, as well as their sources.

Let's imagine America with the Gonzales-McNulty contortion of the law in effect. We'd never know how the Bush Administration came to embrace torture as a tactic in the war on terror. We'd know nothing about the torture-by-proxy system developed with key administration allies such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen—not to mention the system of “blacksites” established by the CIA in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. We wouldn't know that the administration was violating the FISA statute with a massive surveillance program. And to paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld, that's just the known unknowns.

This would be a dream world for Karl Rove and Alberto Gonzales. And a nightmare for the rest of us. And the AIPAC case could, if it succeeds, bring the nation much closer to its realization.

As the author Lukery cited notes, "It seems clear that Franklin and the two AIPAC employees had a common object, which was to invite critical public attention to U.S. policy towards Iran." Attention that is badly needed to clear away the smokescreen around Bush's propaganda blitz to pave the way to his heart's desire for yet another war.

And speaking of Iran, Cernig has the must read of the day -- an on the ground account of Peter Hitchens recent trip there. As Cernig reminds us Hitchens is no leftie - he is to the Right of his brother Christopher on most social issues so his agenda is not an issue and his observations should not be taken lightly. Hitchens paints a much different picture than one gets from the White House pressers.