Political Punch

JT: fyi, SWIFT is not a bank. Also, I think that a big part of the problem, with all due respect, is that many, if not most, journalists have little understanding about even the basic tenents of intelligence operations. That is not a crime, and I can certainly understand that journalists can't be expected to be subject matter experts in everything.

Your question to Snow:

" and trying to freeze terrorist assets and also get all information they can and, if the banks did not comply, the U.S. would stop doing business with those banks.
...
JT: So wasn't the message sent right then and there that..."

His answer was exactly right and accurate. A fundamental tenent of intelligence operations is that you don't tell the enemy what you are really doing, and you don't tell the enemy what you are really not doing. It is no more than common sense.

The world of financial transactions is immense to say the least. No one. Repeat. No one, can track every transaction in even selected parts of the world. There are simply too many transactions on too many varied systems. And, even if they could the data reduction and analysis would require most of the planet's population to sift through.

So you tell the enemy that you are 'checking everywhere' to put them on notice and keep them guessing, then you phsyically check those relatively miniscule number of transactions that your experience and intell tell you should provide the best results - because that is the best you can do.

Now, when the NYT comes along and validates that we are actually checking transactions in this one particular fiancial transaction facilitation service (SWIFT), the enemy now have validated, actionable information on which to base future plans and operations. They now know for certain what some of our limited resources are up to which tells them to some degree what we are not up to as well. They know we can't do everything at once so informing them of what where we are putting our resources helps them to figure out where we are not putting our resources. 'We' should not give them anything to work with in my opinion.

Bottom line, the NYT handed concrete information and data to terror groups and their supporters that validates what before was at best a suspicion. That can not be a good thing for us.

Oh, and to 'an Independent': "Thanks for your wonderful work defending the rights of Americans. Without a good press we would never be free. Right on sir!!".

Well, we are more free than any other civilization in the history of the planet, yet we don't have nearly as good a press as we deserve. The First Amendment gave freedom of speech to the people. People who then form the press - not to the press as a corporate, profit-oriented business entity per se.

I saw your interview with Tony Snow and I thought your questions were priceless and the info you shed on this whole bizarre idiotic accusation of treason. Thanks for your wonderful work defending the rights of Americans. Without a good press we would never be free. Right on sir!!!

Way to stay on the subject, Jake. Do you find it interesting parsing words with a former (or, I guess, current) television personality? What is the press' thoughts on Snow after a month or so on the job?

In my neck of the woods, the paper once wrote of how the police were "looking for suspects in the theft of neighborhood swings" in the park nearby. Oh boy, did the Chief of Police ever give that paper's editor a dirty look the next day at the farmer's market. All of us in attendance were like, "No, he didn't just do that. How are the cops supposed to catch these hooligans now?"

This blog reader sayeth that at best Mr. Snow is making Byzantine and Talmudic differentiations in attempting to defend his boss' position. So, to see if I understand this administration's position correctly: terrorists will not be tipped off in the least if tracking financial activity is discussed generally in the press, but they will immediately become suspicious if anything specific is discussed, like the very existence of the SWIFT organization? Just how dumb does this administration think those terrorists are? Once again, this administration is not clearly describing any "successes" from this secretive program, just asking for more trust as ordinary citizens' rrights are slowly but surely eroded. The entire scenario is a travesty!

Let's try to make it simple. The difference is like when Ohio State tells Michigan they are going to beat them versus giving them their play book and game plan. Get it?