Telling It Like You Want It To Be

 Former assistant secretary of state for public affairs P.J. Crowley makes a good case for more public disclosure of government activity and information on national security matters.  He discusses the many and varied types of leaks and motivations.  But it all comes down to politics:

Are leaks about politics? Absolutely. Administrations that effectively explain what they are doing tend to be reelected; those that struggle to create a successful media narrative don’t.

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 Leaks can involve crimes — as, allegedly, in the case against Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, accused of passing classified information to WikiLeaks — but most don’t. Explaining what the government is doing to keep America safe is a vital governmental duty to be responsibly employed, not excessively controlled.

I can buy that it's important for an administration to explain what it does to "keep America safe".  What I don't buy is that what the administration tells me it's doing is actually keeping me safe.  Occupying foreign lands and indiscriminately killing civilians all while chasing a small criminal syndicate that can occasionally pull off some mass killings, few of which match the carnage inflicted by our own arms, does not add up to a safer America.

Don't take my word on it.  Go read Ranger Against War for a professional opinion.