NYT Apologetically “breaks” old news of domestic spying illegalities

The New York Times fronted on Friday with the big splash story of the week — breaking details of Bush-authorized illegal domestic intelligence gathering by the National Security Agency.

Strangely, as if the publishing of illicit affairs within the administration may lead to blacklisting, or much worse, dinner with Scooter Libby, the Times devotes an entire graf to apologizing for granting anonymity “because of the classified nature of the program,” then concedes:

The White House asked The New York Times not to publish this article, arguing that it could jeopardize continuing investigations and alert would-be terrorists that they might be under scrutiny.

The Bush Administration is breaking the law… so what else is new?!?

Considering the article relates to a presidential order signed in 2002, and covers issues supported by the Patriot Act (.pdf) and related legislation that should have made for dozens of front page stories over the past few years.

Not only does the Times appear to apply their own limits press freedom with such a statement, it reads as if it could be some distorted subliminal message.

In a move reminiscent of the media’s response to Dana Priest’s CIA secret prisons story last month in the Post, in which, the story was merely repeated without being followed up on, the Washington Post practically lifts the gist of James Risen and Eric Lichtblau’s NY Times story (which they admit in context of having finished for publication over a year ago) and fronts it as well.

That painful day in December 2001 when John Ashcroft laid down the law on the Patriot Act (and prohibiting press among other freedoms at Guantanamo) at a lengthy hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee doesn’t seem that long ago, although apparently the MSM is just picking up on the fallout. (resources available here, here, and here, y aqui tambien.

Or could it be, as a simple Amazon search reveals, that James Risen’s Book, “State of War : The Secret History of the C.I.A. and the Bush Administration” is due for a January 2006 release.

Malkin and her peers are all over that, and this time, they should be.

My understanding of the motivations and trustworthiness of the MSM has been so utterly clouded by the deceit and misplaced loyalty that has played out over the past months – I don’t know what to think.

There is good news today, with the Senate unable to vote down a threatened filibuster leading to the apparent demise of the Patriot Act Re-authorization Bill (which, of course, as we all know is an acronym for “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism” RB). (full story on today’s vote)