[Population: One] <A HREF="http://popone.innocence.com/ar

[bryant]

Glenn Reynolds, July 19th:

MORE: Hugh Hewitt:

Ask yourself what would be going on in Washington, D.C. tonght, and on the network news, within the blogosphere, and in the morning papers, if it had been revealed that Condi Rice was the target of a criminal investigation for removing classified handwritten notes from the government records relating to terrorism.

I think we know. But it's early yet -- this may get more attention from Big Media tomorrow.

CNN, July 20th, front and center story:

Samuel Berger, former President Clinton's national security adviser, is under federal criminal investigation for allegedly removing classified documents and handwritten notes from a National Archives screening room during preparations for his testimony before the 9/11 commission. Berger acknowledged that he "inadvertently" removed some documents.

New York Times, July 20th:

President Bill Clinton's national security adviser, Samuel R. Berger, removed classified security documents from the National Archives while vetting them in preparation for testimony before the Sept. 11 commission and has become the subject of a criminal investigation, his lawyer said Monday night.

Mr. Berger removed at least two versions of a memorandum assessing how the government handled intelligence and security issues before the millennium celebrations in 1999, his lawyer, Lanny A. Breuer, said. He also removed notes he took about classified documents, the lawyer said.

Glenn Reynolds, July 20th:

SISSY WILLIS says that the New York Times is way behind the curve on the Berger story. "In an inversion of Winston Churchill's famous comparison of the speed of lies vs. truth, the blogosphere had already promulgated and commented upon the information contained in the AP report yesterday afternoon and evening before the Times had had a chance to put its pants on, so to speak."

Some people are never satisfied.

Also: I think Sandy Berger should resign from Kerry's campaign right now. I think he's at the very least an idiot for doing whatever it is he did. How do you "inadvertently" remove classified documents? That's really sloppy, and one has to suspect dishonesty. This case was leaked now by the Republicans for political reasons, I know, but Berger is still an idiot. In fact, he's an idiot for remaining involved with the Kerry campaign while this was going on.

Comments

[multiplexer.livejournal.com]

It's unbelievably easy to inadvertently walk off with classified documents, especially if they were handwritten notes that you shuffled into your own notes while you were working and forgot to take them out. It happens.

Now, he should have checked his stuff to make sure he didn't accidentally nab something, so that's stupidity and thoughtlessness, and yeah, he should resign from Kerry's campaign. But it's far easier than anyone can imagine. They're just paper, for the most part.

Think about it. How many things have you inadvertently nabbed from work? How many of those things directly and unequivacolly broke your NDA? Technically, that's considered "corporate espionage." And you know the answer is not "none" and "never." :)

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Um, i steal stuff from work all the time, and it's always been intentional.

[bryant]

Yeah, but while I consider my NDA important I have to say I consider classified documents more serious. If I'd wound up working at TRW that time? I would not ever have brought anything classified home.

And man, this is a level beyond that. He had to have known that any mistake here could lead to political hay for the Republicans.

[jeregenest.livejournal.com]

Except theres a very cavalier attitude amongst people who work around classified documents alld ay long. Part of this ahs to do with how our government over classifies everything.

Berger made a mistake, but its a mistake anyone whose worked in a controlled document area has made a hundred times.

[gentlyepigrams]

Blogospheric reporting on these miniscandals reminds me a lot of local news. I used to have a friend that worked for the ABC affiliate in Houston, so that's not a compliment.

[lintra.livejournal.com]

NPR was reporting this morning he had resigned from Kerry's staff.