Two-Faced Bush Calls Report on Financial Tracking `Disgraceful'

Hypocrite offers no comment on the White House Leaker in the Plame affair.

June 26 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush called ``disgraceful'' reports last week about a secret government program to track terrorism financing, a strategy he defended as lawful and necessary to protect Americans.

``We're at war with a bunch of people who want to hurt the United States of America, and for people to leak that program and for a newspaper to publish it does great harm,'' Bush said at the White House.

The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times on June 22 revealed details of a program that scrutinizes millions of international banking transactions.

Bush's remarks were followed by criticism from other administration officials. Vice President Dick Cheney called the New York Times irresponsible. Treasury Secretary John Snow released a letter to Times Executive Editor Bill Keller saying newspaper's decision to publish the information showed ``breathtaking arrogance.''

Republican Representative Peter King of New York yesterday accused the Times of violating the Espionage Act and urged the attorney general to open a criminal investigation and prosecute the newspaper, its editors and reporters.


[two words: Valerie. Plame. The selective outrage of the Republican leadership is nauseating. - M. Peach]

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