Gergen: Bush worst than Nixon on Secrecy

[kpete]

Gergen: Bush worst than Nixon on Secrecy



David Gergen appeared on "Reliable Sources," this morning and said this administration is trying to put journalists in jail. Lock em' all up. More intimidation and attack the messenger tactics that the apologists are so fond of to defend the White House. Except of course-when the leak is really helpful...
Video-WMP Video-QT (hat tip David Edwards)

(Thanks to Reliable Sources for the transcript)

KURTZ: ... and that is the story on the front page of this morning's "Washington Post" about White House effort to stem leaks. And it talks about the administration, the Bush administration, having launched initiatives targeting journalists and their possible government sources. These involve federal employees being questioned on "The New York Times" story about the national security wiretaps, on the "Washington Post" story about secret CIA prisons, Valerie Plame, all of that.

Do you -- you have been on both sides of this fence. Do you see this as an administration that really is going after journalists, or just legitimately trying to stem the flow of classified information leaking out to the press?

GERGEN: I am glad you brought that up. This administration has engaged in secrecy at a level we have not seen in over 30 years. Unfortunately, I have to bring up the name of Richard Nixon, because we haven't seen it since the days of Nixon. And now what they're doing -- and they're using the war on terror to justify -- is they're starting to target journalists who try to pierce the veil of secrecy and find things and put them in the newspapers.

Now, in the past what the government has always done is go after the people who leak, the inside people. That's the way they try to stop leaks. This is the first administration that I can remember, including Nixon's, that said -- and Porter Goss said this to Congress -- that we need to think about a law that would put journalists who print national security things to...bring them up in front of grand juries and put them in jail if they don't -- in effect, if they don't reveal their sources.


Video at:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/03/05.html#a7401

[Hubert Flottz]

1. seig heil

I'll bet David Gergen wishes now he'd voted for Al Gore and John Kerry.

[kenny blankenship]

2. Gergen has become part of the "angry Left"?

What comrade do we have to thank for his successful brainwashing? Somebody's up for a promotion and a nice Red Star medal --Order of Lenin with oakleaf clusters!
(Ilya, send him a box of our special reserve Havana cigars)

[Octafish]

3. Bush has more to hide.

Nixon was a crook.

Bush is a traitor.

[enid602]

6. Bingo!

[Call me Deacon Blues]

4. David, you ignorant slut . . .

The reason Commander Bunnypants has the power to do these things is because of enablers in the press like you, who sold out this country just for the sake of selling a few more papers, getting a higher share, a few extra bucks in the paycheck. If you don't like it, you arrogant, horrible excuse for a human being masquerading as a reporter, get your ass out there and report the TRUTH -- if you're not afraid of being arrested by the Republican gestapo you helped spawn. What a tool.

[Kahuna]

7. Right on Baby!

:yourock:

[Jane Austin]

8. FWI, Gergen's not a reporter. He's a professor at the Kennedy

School of Government at, where, Harvard?

He's a Republican and has worked in several administrations. He also tried to help Clinton a few months into his presidency when the press and Gingrich pounced on every single thing he said or did.

I've always thought that for a Republican, he made sense some of the time, and I also think he is a rare Republican who sometimes puts his country ahead of his party.

JMHO.

[Call me Deacon Blues]

11. Well, while he may not be a reporter per se . . .

He's certainly a commentator/pundit, which means he shapes opinion. Also see these entries:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/ww/gergen.html

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/dgergen.htm

:)

[Harald Ragnarsson]

5. David Gergen with his mask removed

Presidential Advisor David Gergen confronted about Bohemian Grove

[father_of_hope]

9. Gergen you moron

Bush is worst than Nixon on Secrecy and on EVERYTHING ELSE

[WinkyDink]

10. No kidding. Is that what passes for insight these days?