HUFFINGTON POST: …CNN’s Jake Tapper[President Obama said:] “When we express concerns about leaks at a time when I have 60,000 troops in Afghanistan and intelligence officers around the world who are in risky situations in outposts that are sometimes as dangerous as the outpost in Benghazi, part of my job is protecting what they do, while still accommodating for the need for the public to be informed.”
Speaking just after the press conference wrapped up, [CNN’s Jake] Tapper said this was not a worthy response.
“That’s what every president says. Every president, whether it’s Nixon with the Pentagon Papers or George W. Bush with the NSA wiretapping story, every president exerts, ‘I’m doing this to keep you safe.’ A lot of people in the public, they say that’s enough, and they believe it, but the truth of the matter is that it’s not enough of an answer in and of itself. That’s why there is Congressional oversight of the executive branch. It’s not enough just to say we’re doing it to keep you safe, because the moment the American people cede that territory, then presidents can do whatever they want.”… (more)
