This kind of stuff just makes me livid. Today's WAPO/Joby Warrick column, "US Intelligence Officials will probe leak of Bin Laden Video" just makes me so screaming mad that I'm truly glad I'm not in charge. Gov't departments would start going thru a blood bath, and I'd haul up every downloader/distributor scum on treason charges and shoot their asses!
Okay... that's out of my system. Now I'll back up and 'splain in a calmer tone... grrrrrr.
US intelligence departments have many private firms that aid in Internet intel interception. It was one such firm, SITE Intelligence Group, that intercepted a copy of the early September Bin Laden early video before it's official AQ release.
The video was forwarded on to the WH and the office of the director of nat'l intel... with the stipulation that it should not be publicly released before it's AQ release date, as it would expose the security gap they had penetrated.
Okay... that's out of my system. Now I'll back up and 'splain in a calmer tone... grrrrrr.
US intelligence departments have many private firms that aid in Internet intel interception. It was one such firm, SITE Intelligence Group, that intercepted a copy of the early September Bin Laden early video before it's official AQ release.
The video was forwarded on to the WH and the office of the director of nat'l intel... with the stipulation that it should not be publicly released before it's AQ release date, as it would expose the security gap they had penetrated.
Soon afterward, the video was downloaded by dozens of computers registered to government [Defense & intelligence]agencies. Within hours, SITE's copy of the video was leaked to television news networks and broadcast worldwide.
In a much longer and in depth WAPO article from yesterday from the same author, "Leak Severed a Link to Al Qaeda's secrets", Warrick didn't hesitate in ID'ing the leak culprits as "from within the Bush administration". However in today's article, he's toned down pinning this on the CIC's shoulders by quoting Ross Feinstein, spokesman for the director of national intelligence: "At this point, we don't think there was a leak from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence or the National Counterterrorism Center.".
In addition to intelligence agencies, SITE also provides copies of videos and other AQ materials to private firms and news sites. Their subscribers were alerted that a video existed, and SITE was negotiating prices after the video was cleared for release when the leak happened.
Warricks article yesterday seemed to indicate a split in intel/defense response to the leak... with the defense officials deferring any possible investigation to be called for and conducted by the DNI. Also, competing private firms, such as IntelCenter, questioned SITE's choice of offering the video to "policymakers" as opposed to quietly alerting intelligence analysts.
I'm not sure where the leak to the press came from. But one thing is clear... every damn computer that downloaded this video and their designated operators needs to be hauled in, and the leaking treasonous culprit sought out and punished.
And after that, we should address the irresponsible media for putting the video "scoop" ahead of the intel achievement. This is not a game. This is the free world vs a global Islamic jihadist movement.... or, simply put, we're in a fight for our very survival.
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