From One Paper To Another

The Tampa Tribune isn't buying the NYT's defense of its revealing of the secret government program monitoring international banking transactions to hunt down terrorists. They sum up their objections to the paper's action so clearly even Bill Keller could understand:

Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times, suggested in a letter to readers this week that the newspaper's decision to reveal the existence of a secret government program tracing international banking records in pursuit of terrorists had nothing to do with politics, only good journalism.

We don't buy it.

Those who defend the newspaper say the revelation of the monitoring program lets the public know about the intensity of the government's scrutiny of private individuals. The media, it's true, should act as a check on government power.

But in this instance, there is no suggestion that the program is illegal or has been abused. And the assertion, made by the Times and other newspapers after discussions with the administration and national security experts, that exposure will not harm the program betrays a breathtaking arrogance. How do they know?

The administration tried to dissuade the Times from running the story. Even the leaders of the 9/11 commission, Democrat Lee Hamilton and Republican Tom Keane, asked editors to keep it under wraps. The newspaper dismissed their pleas.

Competition may have had something to do with the publication, since other newspapers also ran with the story.

But when the New York Times publisher recently spoke to a college graduating class, he apologized for the world we live in and the president who leads us. No politics?

"The Times and the far left are so completely out of touch with where the country is on national security and terrorism issues they probably thought this disclosure would hurt Bush politically," writes John McIntyre, co-founder of the political Web site RealClearPolitics. "They are clueless."

Yes, and shameless. Shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, a Times editorial called for the federal government to "disable the financial networks used by terrorists."

The government has been trying to do just that - until the Times undermined its efforts.

Kudos to the Trib for calling them on it, but the Times is so far gone only a formal intervention could even give them a glimmer that they've crossed the line. I hope the Justice Department nails them right to the wall.