Advisers suggest Bush veto shield law
Filed under the "No Surprises Here" drawer, top Bush officials are recommending that the president veto the federal shield law if passed by the Senate this fall. The Free Flow of Information Act may come up for a vote following the current recess, and Attorney General Michael Mukasey and National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell said Friday that the president should veto the bill if it is passed, according to an
AP story. The advisers claim that a media shield law would harm national security and encourage more leaks of classified information. An ironic claim, given previous strategic leaks of classified information by Bush advisers, including the outing of a CIA spy. Their real concern, of course, is the continued leaks of embarrassing information that the public needs to know (e.g., government listening in on Americans' phone calls, reading e-mails, holding and torturing prisoners in foreign prisons, etc.). With any luck, enough senators will see the need for a federal shield law that they will have enough votes to override a veto. Stay tuned!