Shameful Acts

ON December 20, after a speech in Boston, Sen. John Kerry was asked to comment on two leaks that have consumed Washington in recent months: the revelation that President Bush authorized the National Security Agency to spy on the international phone calls of people with known al-Qaeda connections, and the leak of now-former CIA agent Valerie Wilson’s identity. Which was more serious?

Wilson, Kerry answered. “The leak in the White House was an effort to destroy somebody and his family and attack them for telling the truth.” The NSA leak, on the other hand, was an effort “to tell the truth about something that violates the rights of Americans and doesn’t uphold our Constitution.”

About the Author

Byron York

Byron York is a former White House correspondent for National Review.

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ON December 20, after a speech in Boston, Sen. John Kerry was asked to comment on two leaks that have consumed Washington in recent months: the revelation that President Bush authorized the National Security Agency to spy on the international phone calls of people with known al-Qaeda connections, and the leak of now-former CIA agent Valerie Wilson’s identity. Which was more serious?

Wilson, Kerry answered. “The leak in the White House was an effort to destroy somebody and his family and attack them for telling the truth.” The NSA leak, on the other hand, was an effort “to tell the truth about something that violates the rights of Americans and doesn’t uphold our Constitution.”