Keller/McManus excuse

The excuses they offer for publication of our national secrets, after one separates all the silliness, boil down to one:

Any secret government program which is conducted by the Bush administration is a potential threat which must be revealed.

That's a real simple calculus. A secret program is being conducted. George Bush is president. Therefore, the public interest (as the MSM sees it) requires publication.

Note that legality is not a consideration. Neither is any requirement of a showing that the secret program has been abused or used improperly in any way. And finally, there is no consideration of whether the program is effective.

Secret program + Bush as president = justification for leak