SECRET MEANS SECRET, STUPID

22WRF

BY DAVID H. HACKWORTHWhile watching the tapes of U.S. Army Special Operations warriorsparachuting into Afghanistan on a dangerous raid, I felt a great surge ofpride for the skill, professionalism and daring of our raiders.What I didn't know was that before our troopers had completed theirmission, The Washington Post and other members of the U.S. press had rushedto tell the world that our Rangers and Green Berets were operating inAfghanistan on a highly secret hit-and-run mission.Had this happened on June 6, 1944, when the 82d and 101st AirborneDivisions jumped into Normandy, Ike would've pulled the guilty parties'press credentials and put them on the next boat home. In chains.Fifty-seven years later, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was all bark andno bite when he blasted the Pentagon types who leaked the story and thereporters who colluded with them. In his tongue-lashing he rightly saidthat they had violated "federal criminal law" and that they had no regard"for the lives of the people involved in the operation." But that was asfar as it went.Fortunately, our brave men accomplished their mission without taking anylumps. But the Pentagon snitches, much of the press and the retired brass-- recycled as TV rent-a-pundits -- are putting our warriors in jeopardy.We don't need loose lips telling our terrorist opponents what's going down.Bet your boots that whether they're hiding in caves in Afghanistan orsomewhere in our country, they are tuned to TVs and are working their cellphones.The war against the Taliban and al Qaeda isn't another Desert Storm. We'renot fighting Iraq, where most of the opposing generals attended U.S.military schools and knew the drill, and where almost nightly Stormin'Norman could and did tell the world what his troops had done on D plus 1and what was going down on D plus 42.The difference between Desert Storm and the War Against Terrorism is thatthis time around, we're slugging it out with an unconventional opponent,and most of the tactical advantages are his. The terrorist is like theaudience in a darkened theater, while we're the actors on the lightedstage. He sits shrouded in darkness, checking out our weaknesses andstrengths, and when his attack plan is perfect, as on Sept. 11, he strikeswhen his target is the most vulnerable and then runs. To help defeat him,both press corps and pundits must shut off the stage lights and stoptelegraphing our plans to the enemy.Not only are they giving classified information to our enemy, the press istoo often relaying Taliban propaganda under the guise of "This is anunconfirmed report, but U.S. bombers struck a hospital in Afghanistan." Ifit's unconfirmed, then it must be handled responsibly and not treated asheadline news until it's checked out. I find it mind-boggling that thenetworks and so many reporters are letting Taliban spin masters use themthis way.The mindless hemorrhage of secrets and these propaganda coups are driven,of course, by the insatiable appetite of 24-hour cable TV, which must beconstantly fed by reporters and editors desperate for breaking news andbent on scooping the competition and maybe winning an Emmy. But thatdoesn't make it smart.The media argues that the First Amendment gives them the right to keep theAmerican people informed. But they need to remember that those brave menand women who defend America -- some of whom jumped onto an airfield in thedark of an Afghan night -- are the very Americans guaranteeing that rightwith their very lives, and then censure themselves accordingly.I talk to hundreds of members of the armed forces every week and usuallyhave a fair idea of the Big Picture. But I keep this info to myself when,in my judgment, I'd be endangering lives or giving away bits and pieces ofa complicated game plan. The press needs to show the same common sense andcaution and stop aiding and abetting the enemy's spymasters and spinmachine.Retired Col. Ben Willis, a combat-veteran paratrooper, says, "It's thepeople's right to know versus the soldier's right to live."We citizens don't need to know every detail of every military operation inthis new kind of war. Nor should the media tell us and hence our enemy" I venture to suggest that patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." -- Adlai E. Stevenson

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Home of the Blue Angels, P'colaSemper Adveho AbsconditusNever miss a good chance to shut up (Will Rogers)