[16 Dec 2004] Now, another huge leak comes in the form of the disclosure by members of the Senate of a highly-classified satellite program. Three members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence have apparently committed a very serious crime by blabbing about a highly-classified satellite program to the press last week [9 Dec 2004]. […]
As a result of their revelations to the public and the press, three U.S. Senators — Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), who’s also the ranking Dem on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) — are the subject of a “criminal referral” made on Monday for speaking publicly about this satellite.
Two weeks ago I would have been surprised to see Senator Durbin’s name there. Now, I’m not. I’m also not a bit surprised that nothing came of those criminal referrals. We are simply not serious about such things.
Real leadership in Tal Afar lies with the 82 tribal leaders. Angered by the attacks and emboldened by the enlarged American military presence here, some sheiks [tribal leaders] have become outspoken critics of the insurgency. On June 4, at great risk to their own lives, more than 60 attended a security conference at Al Kasik Iraqi Army base near here. To the surprise of Iraqi and American commanders who organized the gathering, many sheiks demanded a Falluja-style military assault to rid Tal Afar of insurgents and complained that American forces do not treat terror suspects roughly enough. [emphasis added]
How long will it take the chatterati to go from “the Iraqis hate the Coalition for being too violent” to “The Iraqis just aren’t nuanced enough to understand their own interests”?