I think ^(link) therefore I err

Friday, November 03, 2006

Letter from the NYTimes

Dear US Govt.,
We just found out that you yourselves have posted ultra super secret information on the internet. We request that you cease and disist. This job is only for us to do.
Yes, we realize that for 7months now we have given this website no attention since it was requested by (shudder) Conservatives. But now that we it's come out that the information could have possibly helped insurgents/terrorists/Iran, we must insist that credit go to us.
Thank you for immediately removing the material. We will post in in our newspaper later.
Sincerly
The NYTimes

“For the U.S. to toss a match into this flammable area is very irresponsible,” said A. Bryan Siebert, a former director of classification at the federal Department of Energy, which runs the nation’s nuclear arms program. “There’s a lot of things about nuclear weapons that are secret and should remain so.”

The government had received earlier warnings about the contents of the Web site. Last spring, after the site began posting old Iraqi documents about chemical weapons, United Nations arms-control officials in New York won the withdrawal of a report that gave information on how to make tabun and sarin, nerve agents that kill by causing respiratory failure.

"There's a lot of things about nuclear weapons that are secret and should remain so." Does that mean it was "right" to oust Saddam in order to get these papers? I'm so confused!

UPDATE Captain Ed has helped my confusion!
The Times has just authenticated the entire collection of memos, some of which give very detailed accounts of Iraqi ties to terrorist organizations.
He has more.

UPDATE AGAIN Jim Geraghty has a great account of this too. Many bloggers are wondering why the govt caved and removed the documents last night. I say, "Mission Accomplished". The mission? Get the MSM to realize that Saddam realy WAS a threat! Every time a new document went up, someone probably was saying "This one ought to do it." wait, wait, wait. Nada. "Ok, well, this one really should do it." etc.etc.