Why did the NYT sit on a story for a year, until the historic Iraq election?
According to the NYT, 500 Americans who are potentially tied in with terrorism are surveilled clandestinely by Presidential authorization at any one time by the NSA: “N.S.A. eavesdrops without warrants on up to 500 people in the United States at any given time.” Bwaa, haa, haa, scary.
The interesting thing is that they sat on this story for a full year. Why go with it right now? Could it be a (very weak) attempt to undercut the pretty amazing story of the Iraq elections? Let’s see what the MSM chooses to cover with “in depth” reporting, and maybe we’ll have an inkling about the timing.
UPDATE
John Hinderaker makes the excellent point that in a post-Scootergate world, the guys who leaked the NSA information to the Times should be immediately prosecuted and sent to jail, such an act being far more detrimental to national security than the non-outing of a non-secret agent.
UPDATE II
Drudge reports that the NYT did not disclose that this article was part of a book that employee Risen turned in three months ago; we shall see whether this becomes a collaborative and cross-promotional NYT/CBS effort like Richard Clarke, al Qa Qaa, and the original Rathergate plan.
UPDATE III
Michelle Malkin links the NYT’s timing to its opposition to the Patriot Act, among much other interesting information.
December 16th, 2005 at 1:25 pm
Patriot Act + NYT’s NSC story = preempting of Able Danger truth
As I wrote before, Bush admin’s DOD and Justice have been trying to delay the AbleDanger hearings until the Patriot Act was passed and closer to the 2006 elections.
Today’s NYT’s story on the NSC proves my point -
if you watched the CSPAN senate debate on the Patriot Act – the Dems used this “held for a year”
story as example of abuse of American citizens.
Don’t think we want the Able Danger hearings to start until we get the Patriot Act passed and then the gloves should come off – and the brass knuckles go on. Destroy the Clintons and the Clintonistas – everyone damn one of them.
Let’s pray that the Republicans are now finally fed up.
Hope that the citizens of the states of Sen Hagel, Sununu, Craig and Murkowski give them hell for sending a Merry Allah-mas to the terrorists. Thank you and the Dems for making Libraries free for THE AQ BOYS – saves spending all those Islamist charity
$$$$$ at internet cafes.
Can only hope that AQ has their home
addresses – thank you notes c/o the United States Congress might be a bit embarassing.
Merry Christmas (while we may still write such infidel wishes)
Larwyn