Hillary Clinton, Sex Symbol?

So says the artist who created this bust of the former First Lady. And when I say "created a bust," I mean "created a BUST." (see photo right).

Daniel Edwards created this sculpture to highlight what he claims is the major reason why Hillary Clinton can't be elected president in 2008: She's too sexy.

The bust, set atop a pedestal inscribed with the presidential seal and carrying the title "The First Woman President of the United States of America," was created in response to a remark made by Sharon Stone earlier this year.

In March, the actress said it was too soon for the junior senator to run on the 2008 presidential ticket because, "a woman should be past her sexuality when she runs. Hillary still has sexual power and I don't think people will accept that. It's too threatening."

Hillary's "sexual power" is her problem? I thought it was the fact that she's an angry, left-wing shrew.

Some Things Never Change...

This cartoon first appeared in US newspapers in 1972. The fact that it could appear in papers today without explanation says evertything you need to know about the uselessness of the United Nations.

(hat tip to MichelleMalkin.com)

America's Own "Disproportionate Response"

Charles Krauthammer, as usual, gets the Israeli military response to Hezbollah's repeated attacks exactly right:

When the United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor, it did not respond with a parallel "proportionate" attack on a Japanese naval base. It launched a four-year campaign that killed millions of Japanese, reduced Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki to cinders, and turned the Japanese home islands into rubble and ruin.
Disproportionate? No.

When one is wantonly attacked by an aggressor, one has every right -- legal and moral -- to carry the fight until the aggressor is disarmed and so disabled that it cannot threaten one's security again. That's what it took with Japan.

Well, Matt, You're Certainly Right About That...

"I know my track record here has been excellent in bringing us to where we are today."--Matt Amorello on overseeing the Big Dig.

"Three More Loose Bolts Found In Big Dig Tunnel."--The Boston Globe, today.

The Big Dig: NOT Good Enough For Government Work

How badly screwed up is the Big Dig? It's in such bad shape that even the Massachusetts government doesn't want it.

As the Globe reports:

The tunnel section has been damaged by water leaking from ceilings and walls, according to the documents and interviews. In addition, the pavement on the ramp is cracked, and the concrete supports have air pockets, potentially weakening the structure.

The tunnel and ramp, which are part of the Big Dig, opened in 2001. The construction was overseen by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and project manager Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff.

When you've built something so crummy even the state of Massachusetts won't take it, you've truly hit a new low.

Boston: New Jews Need Apply?

Is there something in the water here in Boston?

First, Harvard University--which still wants to throw US military recruiters of its law school campus because their presence is "too offensive"--accepts $20 million from terrorism-sponsor Sheik bin Talal. Kill Jews? No problem, says Harvard.

Then we find out about anti-Semitic Andover High teacher Ron Francis who, when he's not trying to stop local governments from investing in Israel, he's announcing his support for Hamas.

Then there was the white paper from Harvard's JFK School of Government about the alleged Jewish cabal running US foreign policy.

And don't forget City Councillor Chuck Turner publicly denouncing Israel at a rally sponsored by a group calling for the total destruction of Israel.

Now we've got Bostonians rallying downtown on behalf of Hezbollah...and proud of it! When I first saw these signs, I thought they were parodys by defenders of Israel. Nope. These are real Bostonians declaring their real support for Hezbollah terrorists and dead Israeli civilians.

There are places in America where such public statements would stick out as so extreme and hateful that the community would rise up in response. But not Boston. Thus far, there has been almost no reaction to Friday's rally supporting anti-Semitic murderers.

In California, Gov. Schwarzenegger spoke at a pro-Israel rally and clearly defended Israel's right to fight back. Have you heard anything similar here in Massachusetts?

"Israel Is A Mistake"

So says Richard Cohen at the Washington Post.

Saving Myself For Mr. Wrong

Is there anything the Reilly campaign has gotten right? Remember his brilliant choice for Lt. Governor, Madame Deadbeat? Or is interference in the investigation into the deaths of the Murphy girls, who died after getting drunk at a partyn hosted by a family with friends in high places?

Now it appears that "Fightin' Tom Reilly" was ready to rollover for Bechtel with a pathetic offer letting them off the hook for their Big Dig disaster for just $85 million. That's about 1/2 of one percent of the $15 billion taxpayers sank into the world's most expensive carwash.

"So, Kofi, How Many Jews Have YOU Killed Today?"

Here's Kofi Annan, once again showing his strength of character as he shakes hands with the head of Hezbollah.

Hezbollah's Next Target: The US?

That's what our friend Col. Ken Allard fears.

Why I STILL Love Ronald Reagan

"The bill's a textbook example of special interest pork barrel politics at work, and I have no choice but to veto it."-- President Ronald Reagan, on the original funding for the Big Dig.

"The Rigged Dig"

Your nicknames for the Big Dig are still pouring in, and so far "The Rigged Dig" is my favorite. However, the competition has been tough. Among the contenders:

The Big Frig
The Big Botch
The Big Pig
The Big Fib
The Big Feed
and the Kevin Costner-inspired "Waterworld."

Send your Big Dig nickname to michaelgraham@969fmtalk.com

Thanks!

UPDATE! This just in from our listener, Jay: "The E. D. Tunnel... just a little dysfunction in the erection."

"DUCT TAPE AND WIRE HANGERS?"

Is that the real story of the Big Dig? Actually, Bubblicious might be an improvement.

"Glue And Screw"

That's how one of my listeners describes the "let's use epoxy to hold up 5,000 pound cement panels" system that killed Milena Del Valle Monday night. The Big Dig uses glue, and the taxpayers get screwed.

Thanks to the Boston Herald today, we now know just how badly we are getting screwed:

The supports used for the concrete ceiling panels that collapsed this week and killed 38-year-old Melina Del Valle were not fully weather-protected or fabricated to contract standards - a deficiency reported to the lead contractor, project manager Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority during construction, the bombshell documents show.

In September 2001, a Big Dig “deficiency report” indicated that a key part of the ceiling hanger known as the clevis was not “fabricated and galvanized” to contract specifications. The report also stated the clevises, which connect to metal rods supporting 3-ton slabs that collapsed, were found to be plagued by “significant rust.” [emphasis added]

So can we finally forget the "It's not Amorello's fault because he wasn't in charge" crap now? The report was 9/01. He took over in February of '02. Which means he had more than four years to fix the problem, as it was reported. He didn't do it. The people he hired didn't do it. The people who answer to him didn't do it.

He's gotta go.

A Message From Chairman Matt Amorello

Hat tip to our pals at MassBackwards...

Visit the Turnpike Authority's webpage, and you'll find a "personal message" to you from the Chairman himself. Here's his current message [all comedy is unintended. No words have been altered.]

A MESSAGE FROM MATTHEW J. AMORELLO

Chairman, Massachusetts Turnpike Authority

Summer is the season for family vacations and cookouts and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority has all its resources ready to help you find a fun tourist destination and to get you there safely.

As the "Main Street of Massachusetts," the Massachusetts Turnpike is the road to summer fun and we have a lot more to offer than the safest and best maintained highway in the nation...

We are also working hard to keep the Turnpike safe and attractive with a number of repaving projects and our annual flower planting and landscaping efforts. I am committed to making your traveling and tourist experience in Massachusetts the best in America. Please drive safely on all of our roadways; keep your seat belt buckled and your children properly restrained in safety seats.On behalf of all of us at the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, I wish you a safe and happy summer.

--Sincerely,Matthew J. Amorello

A Massachusetts Legislator (Accidentally) Tells The Truth!

My nominee for "Most Honest State Legislator in America" has to be Thomas Sannicandro (D-Ashland) for revealing to the Boston Herald exactly how Massachusetts politics really works. Explaining his vote to postpone the constitutional convention on the same-sex marriage amendment until after November's election,

Sannicandro, who supports same-sex marriage, said he voted for the delay so fellow lawmakers could vote without the pressure of having to face voters soon thereafter. “They will absolutely vote their conscience because there’s no campaign issue or no election in front of them,” he said. [emphasis added]

In other words, Rep. Sannicandro admits that he normally doesn't vote his conscience because he's scared of the voters. But finally--he and his fellow politicians are free! Free of the horrible burden of democracy! Better still, this makes it easier for the legislators to vote against allowing the people to vote on the marriage issue, which means even LESS democracy!

Hooray! Down with democracy! Down with the people!

What an interesting campaign slogan for the Massachusetts Democratic Party...

The complete rundown on how Massachusetts' courageous leaders voted to not vote until after the election is here.

Tell Matt Amorello "It's Time To Bolt!"

Despite flooding, falling debris and a fatality all on his watch, Matt Amorello still refuses to resign. Instead, he's playing rope-a-dope, hoping that after the outrage fades, he'll still be clinging to his job like the clueless sycophant that he is.

Well, if Matt Amorello can't take a hint, then it's up to us to send him a clear message: "It's Time To Bolt!"

That's why I'm asking you to grab a bolt out of your toolbox or utility closet--perhaps like the one in this photo from the Big Dig--drop it in an envelope, write "Matt, It's Time To Bolt!" and send it to The Chairman's office at the Turnpike Authority.

Massachusetts Turnpike Authority
State Transportation Building
10 Park Plaza
Suite 4160
Boston Massachusetts 02116
www.masspike.com

The tunnel keeps leaking, the debris keeps falling and people are dying. And everytime one of these things happens, the first words out of Matt Amorello are "The tunnels are safe." Will you ever believe him? Of course not.

Matt, you gotta go.

The Smoking Gun?

Is this the smoking gun pointing to what went wrong Monday night when the Big Botch claimed its first life? Peter Samuel at Toll Road News thinks so. Read his comments below.

"The Least Safe Tunnel In America"

That was the verdict of the editor of Toll Road News on my radio show yesterday. Peter Samuel covers toll projects fulltime around the world. He couldn't name one bridge where someone had been killed due to a design or construction flaw after just three years. He couldn't name off the top of his head the last time a tunnel failure had killed somone, period. And he couldn't name a similar sized public works project that had gone from $2.5 billion to $15 billion in cost overruns.

And then, after re-counting the flooding, the falling debris, the slurry wall failures, etc. he came to his conclusion: "There isn't another major tunnel in America as unsafe as the Big Dig."

Today, Samuel says he's got the "smoking gun" on what happened Monday night:

From a photograph in the Boston Globe the anchors look to have been quite modest in size for something that supports multi-ton slabs - they look to be approx 6 inch x 3/4inch (150mm x 20mm) threaded rods. These were placed in a hole drilled vertically about 6 inches (150mm) up into the concrete. The hole may have been about 3/8 inch (10mm) larger that the threaded rod. The anchors depended for their strength on grip of the epoxy to the concrete and the grip of the epoxy to the threads of the steel rod.

And worst of all the anchors look to be very short for the kind of job they have to do. 6 inches is very little length to get a real grip into the concretework.

There's only one word for this - the good British word shonky. A handyman who used it you'd shun.

Over at Toll Road News, the "official" label for the project is "The Big Botch." If you have a better name, please send it to michaelgraham@969FMTALK.com.

The Price Of Corruption

Forget the $15 billion. The real cost of Massachusetts' culture of corruption is here.

Matt Amorello Says "These Tunnels Are Safe."

But the Boston Globe reported a month ago that the Big Dig tunnels are leaking 1.1 million gallons a month...or more.

No, the poor woman who died last night wasn't drown to death. She was killed by parts of the tunnel falling on her car. However, as the Globe noted:

The high volume of water is a concern because it indicates the Big Dig's steps to address the leaks may be only partially successful after more than a year. Also, because water weakens concrete and deteriorates steel [emphasis added], the state may be stuck with higher maintenance costs in the future, as more crews are needed for frequent inspections and repairs.

Meanwhile, the Big Dig has been leaking like a seive since the first tunnel opened--a million gallons a month is actually an IMPROVEMENT--so how much damage did three years of water do in the tunnel that failed last night?

BIG DIG = BIG DEATH TRAP

What does $15 billion of Massachusetts politics and federal government engineering buy?

Sadly, at least one death.

The official celebration of the "completion" of the Big Dig project was just two months ago, and already the tunnel has claimed a life. A 38-year-old woman was crushed by a three-ton ceiling tile falling on her car last night on the eastbound lane of the Mass Pike driving near in one of the Big Dig tunnels. Her husband had to climb out of the ruble to safety.

A few ceiling tiles falling is an accident and one death is a tragedy. But the Big Dig's continuing problems are utterly criminal and indefensible.

The original project was supposed to cost $2.5 billion. It will end up costing 500% more. One of the tunnel walls cracked in 2004 and seawater came pouring in, one of more than 1,000 leaks found by an audit in 2001. It's currently "seeping" a million gallons of water a month. Debris has been falling on drivers, and now, a ceiling collapse has killed someone.

If we had pinched pennies on this project, these tragedies would be quiet so maddening. But for a wildly expensive project with plenty of money budgeted for Massachusetts graft and corruption, the taxpayers deserve better.

We paid for a Ferrari. We got a Ford Escort. Somebody needs to go to jail. This is, at best, negligent homicide.

No Background Check, No Soles In Your Shoes? No Problem!

Here is the key part of this story: The let this guy....ON THE PLANE!

He's from the Middle East, he's lying about what he's carrying on board, the "entire soles of both shoes were gutted out," according to the TSA screener, he's got a battery taped to the side of a clock in his baggage, the cops can't check his identity beyond his documentation because the computers are down...and the IDIOTS AT THE TSA LET HIM ON THE PLANE!

I know he's resigning, but couldn't we still fire Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta as a matter of principle? And if you or a family member had been flying on that plane, wouldn't you want these security people keelhauled?

As Michelle Malkin points out, for far too many Americans it's still September 10th.

Remember Our Friend Miryam Wiley?

She's the columnist with the MetroWest Daily News who joined us at our live broadcast from Ken's Steak House not long ago and discussed the illegal immigration--pardon me, Miryam, that's the "undocumented worker"--issue. If you recall, she impressed us all with her iron will and astonishing self control by admitting that she listens to NPR for hours every day...WITHOUT falling asleep!

Incredible.

Anyway, Miryam writes about our on-air conversation in her latest column, and obviously I'm flattered to be included. I urge you to read it for yourself, not for what it says about me, but rather what it says about Ms. Wiley and, in turn, the supporters of open borders and amnesty.

Her thesis, such as it is, is that I seem like a rather pleasant chap and not a complete dimwit, so isn't it a shame that I am so ignorant and closed minded? The evidence of my ignorance is that I have committed the incomprehensible failing of refusing to agree with Miryam Wiley.

Now, it is entirely possible that Ms. Wiley has brilliant arguments on behalf of abandoning all border enforcement, arguments that I am unable to refut. That's possible. Unfortunately for the reader, none of these arguments against my simple-minded position (enforce the law, reward good behavior and punish criminals) are presented in this column. Indeed, there are NO arguments whatsoever.

She's absolutely certain that she is right and everyone else is wrong, therefore she offers no arguments, no reason, no logic. Why argue when you're already right, right?

Once again, I am prepared to open my mind to some rational case for open borders, for allowing immigration criminals to take taxpayer-funded jobs at public works projects away from American citizens, etc., etc. But I can't argue with a case that's never presented.

Miryam is echoing the position of illegal immigrants and their allies, a position stated most directly by the head of the Irish immigrant organization in Boston who told me "Until you pass laws we agree with, we're going to continue to break them."

Well, that's one way to end the debate. You won't argue and try to persuade me to change the law. Having refused to use the democratic process, you then announce you won't obey the laws American citizens pass anyway. And then you call ME "close minded?"

That's the current state of the "debate" over immigration policy in the US.

The Best Description Of Soccer I've Ever Read

Courtesy of our pal Jim Geraghty at TKS:

I’ve now watched large portions of the U.S.-Czech Republic, U.S.-Italy, U.S.-Ghana, England-Portugal, Italy-Germany and France-Portugal games, quite a few hours of soccer, and I’ve seen… six goals, not counting end-of-overtime penalty kicks. Two were on during-the-game penalty kicks. (In the U.S. games, I’ve missed several goals before I arrived.)

I don’t know if an American audience will ever be enthralled by, “kick… kick… pass… pass… oh, the other guy got it. Now the other guys try to advance. Kick… kick… pass… pass… out of bounds, throw-in. Kick… Kick… out of bounds, corner kick. Oh, two guys ran into each other, each one is insisting the other hit him. The stretcher comes out. They wave off the stretcher. Kick. Kick. Another run-in. Somebody’s getting a yellow card. The offender is giving the universal, “Who, me?” reaction. Kick, kick. Out of bounds. Throw in. Kick. One team’s coach is making wild arm gestures, the other is smoking. Kick. Header. Kick. Annnnd… SHOT ON GOAL! The fans wake up and go insane with excitement! But the goalie caught it. He punts it to the other end of the field, er, pitch. And… it’s in the hands of the other goalie. He punts it back. Header. Kick. Kick. Pass. Oh, wait, somebody’s lying on the ground again, insisting the other guy elbowed him.” (Repeat for forty-five minutes, plus injury time.)

Andover High Teacher Says Palestinian Terrorism "Completely Understandable."

On the anniversary of the murder bombings that killed 52 Londoners, Andover High physics teacher Ron Francis says that condemning all terrorism is wrong.

"I don't condemn the Palestinian people because they actions they are taking...are completely understandable and withing the bounds of normal human behavior," Francis told the Andover Townsman regarding the Intafada that has claimed hundreds of innocent Israeli (and a few American) lives.

Francis is part of the Somerville Divestiture Project which, in turn, is allied with the New England Committee to Defend Palestine. Some of the writing you'll find from the NECDP:

The Palestinian resistance—the ones they call "terrorists"—had the ingenuity
this past week, under absolute closure, economic strangulation, and starvation
to tunnel under the ground and attack a military installation and capture an
enemy soldier. They are now trying to negotiate the release of women and
children Palestinian prisoners who constitute only a portion of the over 10, 000
Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli jails. Imagine the creativity,
the steadfastness, the risk, and the sacrifice that is involved in carrying out
such an operation to free the women and children of your movement locked in
Israeli prisons. Where is the international support for such courage and
selflessness in the face of so much suffering?

Yes, those courageous men who kidnapped a 19-year-old standing guard duty and are threatening to cut off his head. Such heroes...at least in the eyes of Ron Francis and his friends.

What makes Dr. Francis's story so interesting is that he is a public school teacher and has gotten his students involved in his activism on behalf of the Palestinian "Israel must be destroyed!" cause. He also declines to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in his classroom (American flag? Too racist!) and has turned his back on the flag at Somerville Town Council meetings.

He's scheduled to join us in the 4pm hour today. Trust me: You don't want to miss it.

"Illegal Immigration Has NOTHING To Do With Terrorism!"

Oh, really? Before you say that in public again, my lefty friend, you may want to read this round-up of testimony from intelligence and border enforcement officials.

Among the highlights:

"It is undeniable that terrorists have entered the United States by
crossing our land borders illegally. The empirical evidence of terrorist entry
is significant... On July 19, 2004, [Al Qaeda terrorist Farida] Ahmed was
arrested in McAllen, Texas after crossing into the United States three days
earlier. She had waded across the Rio Grande, and was bound for New York City.
Terrorists know all about our porous southern border..." Kris Kobach,
Professor of Law, University of Missouri - Kansas City

"Unfortunately, illegal aliens and contraband smuggled across the border by
sophisticated organizations are rarely detected and apprehended. To cite but one
example, in September of 2004 the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
announced that it had broken up a smuggling ring responsible for bringing more
than 200 illegal aliens from Iraq and Jordan to Detroit, Michigan across our
southern border over a period of about three years."--T.J. Bonner, National
President National Border Patrol Council of the AFL-CIO

MA Workers: Who's On YOUR Side?

I recently read portions of a letter from Massachusetts Jobs With Justice on the air, a letter to legislators asking them NOT to require Attorney General Tom Reilly to participate in any workplace enforcement of immigration laws. As regular Michael Graham listeners know, there are thousands of illegal immigrants at public works jobsites across Massachusetts, each one taking a job that could go to a taxpaying citizen of the Commonwealth.

Tom Reilly has no problem with illegals taking tax-funded jobs away from taxpayers. OK, maybe that makes sense in a shameless "pander to Hispanics for their votes in the Democratic primary" way. But what astonished me was reading a letter supporting this position from a group of UNION leaders.

Huh? I thought the job of a union was to protect its dues-paying members and promote the interests of labor. How is allowing immigration criminals to flood the labor market and reduce the price of labor a pro-union position?

During our discussion of this labor issue, I received several phone calls and emails claiming that the letter I quoted did not exist, or that I was somehow twisting its content. The kind folks at Massachusetts Jobs With Justice have done us the courtesy of posting the letter--and the names of the signatories--on their website.

Here are the portions I find most significant:

We strongly believe that requiring any role for the Massachusetts Attorney General in enforcement of federal immigration law will lead to increased exploitation of workers by unscrupulous employers and will severely undermine enforcement of the Commonwealth’s wage and hour laws....


It is also unrealistic to assume that the Attorney General’s office could effectively and efficiently monitor which employers might be hiring undocumented immigrants as proposed in budget amendment Outside Section 36G or other similar proposals. This could also lead to constant checking of documentation by employers and the proposed creation of a “hotline” to report employers would lead to discrimination and racial profiling of workers. For this reason, we urge you to eliminate Outside Section 36G from the final conference committee budget.

Don't check workers' documentation, don't help legitimate workers report violations, and don't enforce immigration laws that would keep illegals from undercutting local labor markets: This is how unions protect their workers? How about the fact that employer who hires an illegal is breaking federal and state law and is, by definition, participating in tax and identity fraud? How is this a pro-labor position?

If I were a member of one of the unions who signed this letter, that's the question I'd be asking.

Cambridge Isn't The Only "Sanctuary City" in Massachusetts

While Cambridge's hypocritical "Sanctuary City" label is getting all the attention, the city of Boston is doing its part, too.

The city passed a resolution unanimously urging that immigration laws be ignored and no local law agencies participate in their enforcement.

So, immigration criminals, Boston has a message for y0u--"Come on down!" (Or up, as the case may be).

And, unlike Cambridge, you can actually afford to LIVE IN parts of Boston.

Don't Know Much About History...

That's the Boston Globe's slogan on the North Korea nuclear missile issue. They've published what they call a "Timeline Of [the] North Korea Nuclear Standoff." And when does the Boston Globe believe this story begins?

Why, 2002, of course. Because that's when the NKs were caught cheating on the lame, "only a moron would believe the North Koreans" treaty they signed with the US back in 1994--a treaty they violated constantly during the 1990s.

Oh, and what geniuses brought us this treaty, the document that gave the North Koreans the time and cover they needed to develop nuclear weapons and bigger missiles to deliver them?

That would be President Super-Genius, William J. Clinton and his sidekick Madeline Albright.

None of this gets mentioned by the Globe. For some unimaginable reason, they believe the NK nuclear story began AFTER George W. Bush became president and inherited the problem from some previous, unnamed administration.

Here are some facts and history you won't find in the Globe today. More here, too.

Are You Afraid Of This Man?

Your Massachusetts public schools are. According to the Boston Globe, angry teachers are denouncing this issue of Cobblestone magazine because they fear it might make their students think highly of our military.

What an outrage!

Teachers are offended that the teacher's guide for this issue suggests inviting a member of (horrors!) the military into the classroom and then asking the students if THEY might want to serve one day.

Cobblestone is a Weekly Reader-like mag for students 9-14 YEARS OLD, by the way. But that hasn't stopped the anti-military liberals in the MA public school system from accusing it of being in league with GWBush, Don Rumsfeld and Halliburton.

"Some of the teachers were like 'Holy Cow, look at this,' " said 6th Grade teacher Francis Lunney (looney?), who quickly lodged a complaint with the magazine's publishers in New Hampshire.

How many times has Mr. Lunney invited a doctor or lawyer or auto mechanic into his class, and them asked the kids if they might want to do that work one day, too? How many times has he asked them how they felt about some other occupation? If he teaches sex ed, how many times has he asked them if they think they'll grow up to be gay?

But when it comes to the United State Armed Services, it's Don't Ask--Don't Tell for the looney lefties in our public schools.

UPDATE! "But Michael, EVERYBODY Knew About The Swift Program..."

That's the Angry Left's response to my latest column, and our conversations on 96.9.

Oh, really?

First of all, perhaps the dumbest defense ever offered on behalf of a media outlet is the "It's not news" defense currently operative re: the NYTimes. Uh, guys--If the top-secret, super-insider scoop about the TFTP wasn't news...then why was it on the front page of their paper?

And if it was front-page news, that was only because of the secrecy involved.

Who said it was secret in the first place? Why, the NYTimes, on their own front page. So even if you buy this lame argument, the NYTimes THOUGHT they were releasing classified information about a successful, secret program. So the criticism of the Times remains.

UPDATE: Just how secret did the NYTimes think this program was? Find out here.

However, this argument, featured most prominently in the Boston Globe, is even less convincing because the same Globe story quotes another intelligence official working on the TFTP who called the NYTimes story a disaster. Why? Because of the amount of detail offered.

What the insane Left refuses to acknoweldge is that "I am tracking financial information" is NOT the same as "Here are the specific details of what financial information I can get, where I'm getting it and what I can do with it."

But if you insist on believing the oxymoronic "Our front-page breaking news was never news in the first place!" Times defense, you might want to talk to 9/11 co-chair Tom Kean, who went to the Times and begged them not to print the story. Why? Because HE didn't know about the SWIFT program, either!

Oh, but you're right: EVERYONE knew about the program. Well, except for all those terrorists we were successfully tracking using it until the Times broke the story.

UPDATE: The New York Times has found yet another petard upon which they can hoist themselves, as reported by MediaBlog:

the New York Times editorial board on October 2, 2003 compared the leak of
Valerie Plame's identity with disclosing troop locations (I can't find the link
via the nytimes.com site. This is from Nexis.):

As members of a profession that relies heavily on the willingness of government officials to defy their bosses and give the public vital information, we oppose "leak investigations" in principle. But that does not mean there can never be a circumstance in which leaks are wrong — the disclosure of troop movements in wartime is a clear example.

Compare with the NYT now:

The Swift story bears no resemblance to security breaches, like disclosure of troop locations, that would clearly compromise the immediate safety of specific
individuals.

Leaking Valerie Plame's identity was akin to disclosing troop
movements? Leaking our methods for monitoring terrorists isn't that bad? The
NYT, again, manages to show how logic and reason get tossed out the window when
it comes to assailing the Bush administration.

What Al Gore Doesn't Want You To Know...AGAIN

The more Al Gore talks, the dumber he gets. Should we really believe that he just doesn't know that:

• the Arctic was as warm or warmer in 1940 than it is today;
• that icebergs have been falling off the polar ice sheets since time immemorial;
• that the evidence so far suggests that the Greenland ice sheet is actually growing on average;
• Alpine glaciers have been retreating since the early 19th century, and were advancing for several centuries before that.
• Since about 1970, many of the glaciers have stopped retreating and some are now advancing again.
• And, frankly, we don't know why.

Or could it be that he knows all these things, but they won't help re-invigorate his political career the same way that irrational alarmism will? Could it be he also knows the mainstream press will never fact-check his story?

A dummy, or a liar--which one is it, Al?