In what is becoming quite the common theme these days, once again the Bush administration has leaked sensitive national security information, this time intelligence that is directly linked to the fight against Al-Qaeda itself.
A small private intelligence company that monitors Islamic terrorist groups obtained a new Osama bin Laden video ahead of its official release last month, and around 10 a.m. on Sept. 7, it notified the Bush administration of its secret acquisition. It gave two senior officials access on the condition that the officials not reveal they had it until the al-Qaeda release.
Within 20 minutes, a range of intelligence agencies had begun downloading it from the company's Web site. By midafternoon that day, the video and a transcript of its audio track had been leaked from within the Bush administration to cable television news and broadcast worldwide.
If this timeline is correct, then I think it is safe to assume that this leak was no accident and that it was directed by higher-ups within the Bush administration who had immediate access to the video. According to the article, the leak destroyed years of work SITE had put into this operation.
"Techniques that took years to develop are now ineffective and worthless," said Rita Katz, the firm's 44-year-old founder, who has garnered wide attention by publicizing statements and videos from extremist chat rooms and Web sites, while attracting controversy over the secrecy of SITE's methodology. Her firm provides intelligence about terrorist groups to a wide range of paying clients, including private firms and military and intelligence agencies from the United States and several other countries.
I will put aside for now the controversy of whether private firms should be gathering and selling this information (that is a topic for another diary and another day).
The real question here is this: Why leak this information? Why bother when it is going to be released in a matter of days? Why destroy years worth of solid intelligence gathering and remove a channel into the inner workings of Al-Qaeda? The answer, I think, is two-fold:
1. Controlling the message
The Bush administration wanted this information out in the public. They wanted the extra days publicity it would give them. Remember all the talking heads out in the MSM comparing Bin Laden's message to that of the left? Two days to compare your political opponents to terrorists is time well spent indeed. Additionally, simply having Bin Laden's face out there and pumping up the fear quotient is a worthwhile endeavor in and of itself.
2. They need Al-Qaeda to survive (aka these videos are like crack to them)
They guys really just can't help themselves. Think about the sheer joy that emanates from all corners of the conservative movement every time Bin Laden sneezes. They love it. They just can't get enough. It rallies their base. It justifies their conquests. It reminds everyone of the danger of another attack. They are out there, they will tell us. And they are going to kill you and your family. The only thing that stands between you and them is us. Al-Qaeda is the Dr. Claw to our Inspector Gadget. It is a symbiotic relationship; one simply has no purpose without the other (this is particularly true insofar as the Bush administration is concerned).
The reason why we haven't caught Bin Laden is as simple as it is terrifying: They just don't want him.
Petty political leaks of serious national intelligence information are dangerous for America. But realistically, why should the Bush administration concern themselves with national security matters? After all, they are plenty adept at making up their own intelligence to fit their agenda. Who needs all the inconvenient real stuff? And from a political standpoint, another attack on our country would only serve to further consolidate their power. (And, as we all know, they are already getting plenty of help as is). All upsides here as far as the administration is concerned.
For the rest of us, however, the outcome is not all roses and flowers. It is worthwhile to point out that these leaks over time very well could lead to another terrorist attack against our country. That should not be our worst fear, however. What we should fear the most is what comes after the attacks.