Unfettered Letters

Libby verdict

Lessons from Libby verdict

President Bush’s approval rating is 33 percent, six out of 10 Americans disapprove of the war in Iraq, and Lewis Libby, Vice President Cheney’s chief of staff, was convicted in the CIA leak case.

The Libby verdict casts a dark shadow on an already beleaguered White House and further questions the Bush administration’s use of flawed intelligence to make its case for invading Iraq.

Although Libby obstructed justice and lied under oath, the trial revealed that Libby was the “fall guy” for Cheney, who asked Bush to declassify an intelligence report so that Libby could leak it to the press. If Cheney had one shred of decency, he would resign.

Evidence in the Libby trial disclosed the Bush administration’s continued policy of corruption, secrecy and deception. This is another black eye for the White House, which has lost credibility at home and around the world.

Jane Toliver
Leawood

Regarding “Crimes catch up with Libby” (3/7 editorial) and your comment, “The country is left to wonder how President Bush and Vice President Cheney could have entrusted a man like Libby with so much authority”: I believe the country’s wonder is how they were conned into electing Bush and Cheney. Libby lied to protect Cheney; that was his job.

Bush and Cheney cannot be believed or trusted.

Ralph T. Whiteside
Leawood

Democrats show hypocrisy

The hypocrisy from the Democrats never ceases to amaze me.

All the talk on the Hill is about the possible pardon of Lewis “Scooter” Libby and how Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is demanding that President Bush pledge not to pardon Libby.

When Harry Reid is the president of the United States, he can then decide who does and does not get a pardon.

When William “Slick Willy” Clinton left office, he pardoned over 100 people. This list included people that were convicted of tax evasion, cocaine trafficking, securities fraud, mail fraud, counterfeiting, firearms violation, armed robbery, racketeering and many other crimes. This list can be found at www.usdoj.gov/pardon/clintonpardon_grants.htm.

Reid needs to worry about the legislative branch that he is a part of and not the executive branch.

Kirk Stanford
Lee’s Summit

Armitage, Plame case

So now that the Valerie Plame case has ended (9/2, A-2, “Plame case resurfaces: Richard Armitage is the focus of a new book that produces allegations of betrayal and criticism”) and we know that the Bush administration had nothing to do with the outing of her CIA identity — as it has honestly claimed all along — where are the apologies to Bush and Karl Rove, and where is the dismissal of charges against Lewis “Scooter” Libby?

More to the point, where is the redirection of the investigation? Where are the charges against Armitage (the real culprit, whose identity, as it turns out, was known the entire time by the investigator) for this formerly heinous crime against Plame?

The liberal press hates Bush and will do anything to get him, but when he’s proven to be right and had nothing to do with the charges, a three-year investigation becomes “never mind.” The liberal press has no principles other than hate for Bush.

Dave King
Kansas City

Government leaks

Disclosures of our most highly effective, classified intelligence-collection tools, which the U.S. government has used to disrupt al-Qaida terrorist plots against America citizens, have made us much less safe than we were eight months ago.

There is also no doubt that more leaks will only result in more damage and less safety for our citizens. That’s why legislation is needed to discourage leakers.

Government officials who take a solemn oath are not free to break that oath and put all Americans’ safety at risk for their personal political agenda or the desire of newspapers to sell hot breaking news.

There are adequate opportunities for whistleblowers to contact their superiors, federal inspectors general offices and congressional intelligence committees or representatives to raise legitimate concerns.

In the end, this legislation wouldn’t be necessary if the news media had showed restraint when publishing America’s intelligence sources and methods across the front page for all the world, including America’s enemies, to see.

Kit Bond
U.S. senator, Missouri

Hypocrisy on transparency

One of the most glaring incongruities of the Bush presidency is the frequent complaint that other societies lack “openness” or “transparency.” While we clamor for others to open their societies, we close ours.

Consider the debate over border security or the controversy created by an openly gay bishop or soldier.

Secretive government agencies eavesdrop on our communications, delve into our financial records and kick in our doors without knocking.

Whenever the press exposes these secret programs, the administration calls for the leakers to be punished and the press to be squelched.

Our policies, attitudes and actions are not consistent with those of a society or an administration that values openness and transparency.

President Clinton envisioned building a bridge to the 21st century. President Bush is busy building walls. We must be vigilant to guard against any further erosion of our freedoms. The freedom and democracy that we cherish and extol the virtues of to the rest of the world is ours to lose.

David Brandt
Overland Park

Unfair criticism of U.S.

Regarding Rhonda Chriss Lokeman's "We can't let the land that we love slip away" (7/2, Opinion): Last week's House resolution related specifically to media outlets publishing "leaked" classified information, not something as vague as "reports on the global war on terror."

In addition, the only true "religious crusade" I am aware of is that being waged by Osama bin Laden and his followers against "non-believers."

I realize that Lokeman was writing an op-ed, rather than a news item, but feel strongly that there is a limit to how far real facts can be stretched to fit someone's agenda.

Paul Lundy
Kansas City

Press informs public

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has stated that this administration will prosecute journalists who publish “secret” information it deems important to national security (5/22, A-3).

Thomas Jefferson said, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” One function of the press in a democracy is to inform the public of its government’s actions: It is the press that makes that vigilance possible. If this government can escape accountability simply by enforcing the secrecy of policies that it doesn’t think would pass public scrutiny, America will pay the cost.

Our president and our attorney general need to realize that they don’t govern a banana republic, and that they cannot preserve our democracy by shredding our Constitution.

John Van Horn
Kansas City

Intelligence leak

Where are all the Republican voices that were so loud when Bill Clinton stood before the camera and lied to the American people?

There seems to be a belief in moral relativism in the Republicans’ view of President Bush’s behavior.

Bush stood before the camera and told the American people that he would not stand for the leaking of classified information. He also said he would remove anyone from his administration who was involved in such behavior.

When it became clear people in the administration were involved in leaks, he softened his position on their removal.

Now we know the president himself was leaking classified information.

We are now given some tortured logic that it is not a leak of classified information if the president declassifies and leaks it.

Are we also supposed to believe it is not a lie if the president says it’s not a lie?

David Langton
Shawnee

Intelligence leak

President Harry Truman had a sign on his desk that said, “The Buck Stops Here.” President Bush should have a sign on his desk that says, “The Leak Stops Here.”

I wish Truman was still our president. He accepted responsibility for his mistakes. George W. Bush won’t even admit he makes mistakes.

Dan Lykins
Topeka

Source of intelligence leak

Suppose President Bush is telling the truth that he really did declassify the intelligence information while authorizing Scooter Libby to leak it. Then what plausible explanation is there for Libby to hide the fact that he was the leak source? By hiding it, he became the subject of an indictment investigation. If the supposition is true, then I can think of no logical explanation whatsoever for Libby's actions.

The only logical conclusion is that he hid the leak source because the information was still classified and he was trying to protect his bosses.

The Bush spin/lie team probably will once again save the day with the declassification claim.

John Dean
Shawnee

Regarding President Bush being the ultimate leak: Didn't his mother ever tell him that just because you can doesn't mean you should?

Susan Schank
Parkville

Source of intelligence leak

Suppose President Bush is telling the truth that he really did declassify the intelligence information while authorizing Scooter Libby to leak it. Then what plausible explanation is there for Libby to hide the fact that he was the leak source? By hiding it, he became the subject of an indictment investigation. If the supposition is true, then I can think of no logical explanation whatsoever for Libby's actions.

The only logical conclusion is that he hid the leak source because the information was still classified and he was trying to protect his bosses.

The Bush spin/lie team probably will once again save the day with the declassification claim.

John Dean
Shawnee

Regarding President Bush being the ultimate leak: Didn't his mother ever tell him that just because you can doesn't mean you should?

Susan Schank
Parkville