Bill Clinton may have waffled about what “is” is, but his inability to keep it in his pants never killed anyone. George Bush’s leaks are another story. White House spokesman Scott McClellan has to clean up after his boss, and the latest attempt at mop up is a doozie.
“Declassifying information and providing it to the public when it is in the public interest is one thing,” McClellan said.
“But leaking classified information that could compromise our national security is something that is very serious, and there’s a distinction,” he said.
Ummm hmmmm. See, it really does depend what “is” is.
I think you’re wrong on this one, B.L. The president can’t leak, by definition, or, as I understand it, by law. The president is, by law, permitted to release any classified information he chooses. It, when released, becomes declassified.
By law, people other than the president cannot make that choice.
As citizens, we can and should hold him accountable for his judgement in releasing classified information, but that’s another issue altogether.