LOOSE LIPS – AT 11:29 P.M. ET:  During World War II we, as a nation, had a slogan:  "Loose lips sink ships."  At war plants, in military installations, Americans regularly passed posters, like the one with the woman with a finger on her lips, that stressed the need for secrecy.

Maybe we need posters like that today.  Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld believes, and I agree, that we've released entirely too much information related to the bin Laden raid.  From Fox:

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Sunday questioned why the Obama administration is releasing so much information about the operation that resulted in the death of Usama bin Laden and the intelligence behind it.

While Rumsfeld praised President Obama for overseeing and green-lighting the daring raid last weekend, he suggested the White House could be taking a risk in sharing the details it has with the public.

"The more information that goes out about intelligence, the greater the risks to our people and the less likelihood we're going to be able to capture and/or kill some of the people who would result from the intelligence take here," Rumsfeld said on CBS' "Face the Nation."

Rumsfeld noted that White House officials have had to correct the record after initially bungling the details of the raid in briefings with reporters. He said the Pentagon likely wants to keep the information private.
"I would have preferred a lot less discussion out of the White House about intelligence," Rumsfeld said.

COMMENT:  Second the motion.  We are at war, whether this administration wants to call it a war or not.  The public has no particular need, or right, to know some of the operational details that have been released.  We didn't have a full, public inquiry into the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor until after Japan was defeated, although there were secret inquiries during World War II. 

And I am appalled by the leaking of intelligence information that may have been gleaned from the documents and drives captured by the Navy Seals.  Never tell your enemy what you know or how you know it.  Let them go crazy wondering what has been captured.  Let each member of Al Qaeda wonder whether his name, address, phone number, and favorite color are now known to the United States.

The Seals are professionals.  Unfortunately, the amateurs are the ones in front of the microphones and TV cameras.

May 8, 2011