...or are you just glad to be part of Kerry's Campaign??
Recently, news reports across the country broke with the story that Sandy Berger, adviser to the Kerry Presidential Campaign on national security issues, was currently under criminal investigation for the theft (and I mean theft) of classified documents while reviewing them among others at the national archives prior to his appearance before the 9-11 commision. Berger the former Clinton administrations National Security Adviser, visited the archives on no less then three seperate occasions to review documents compiled during his time as national security adviser to prepare for his testimony before the 9-11 commision, and it is alleged by the National Archive employees that on at least 2 of those occasions, Mr Berger took both classified and un-classified documents by stuffing them into his pants, socks and jacket (although they only noticed this on his last visit, documents he reviewed previously were missing).
Now while the 9-11 Comission has said they have seen all the documents pertaining to the Clinton administraitions handling of terrorist problems that they were made aware of, it is also important to note that if certain documents were not available via the national Archive due to their "misplacement" one could argue that Berger may have had a hand in that said "misplacement " in an effort to cover-up some of Clintons fumbles...but currently I'm not putting that much stock in this....about the same amount of stock as the reason the story broke was a plan of the Bush administration....this only deflects blame and creates a clusterfuck of controversy. However, some of the missing documents included drafts of a classified after-action report on the Clinton administrations handling of an al-qaida terror threats during the millennium celebration as well as those documents that identified America's terror vulnerbilities at airports and seaports and the information contained within conveinently found its way into a Kerry speech in december 2003 bout port security .(gee I wonder how Kerry came up with that speech?) Berger himself admitted to knowingly removing handwritten notes and classified documents by hiding them in his pants, socks and jacket...as for Bergers response....he said " I deeply regret the sloppiness involved...." ( Yeah Sandy, it's a real shame you were caught , if you werent, you could have kept on doing it)
Currently, the Justice department is continuing to investigate the crime ( sorry leftist, but this is a crime of a serious nature) and Deputy Attorney General James Comey said he couldn't speak bout the ongoing investigation, he did say, " As a general matter, we take issues of classified information very seriously. It's our lifeblood, those secrets. It's against the law for anyone to intentionally mishandle classified documents either by taking it to give to somebody else or by mishandling it in a way that is outside the governing regulations." Bergers home and office were searched by the FBI in an effort to locate the purloined documents which to date hasnt produced much...but Berger showing how dense he could be gave this reply, "When I was informed by the Archives that there were documents missing, I immediately returned everything I had except for a few documents that I had accidentially discarded." ( Gee i guess admiting he never should have had them in the first place would have been bit much to hope for)
Now while the shitstorm around Berger grows, he is not without his "defenders"....one of the first to come out is Dee Dee Myers, former White House Press Secretary in the Clinton Administration, in a vain and somewhat laughable statement in Bergers defense he said ,"Let's look at the documents in question, they were copies!"....(Umm, Dee Dee even copies of classified material are still subject to the rules governing their viewing...can we say duh!) Since the left seem to be unwilling to or incapable of understanding even the simplest rules regarding is it any wonder they see some dark conspiracy over the breaking of this story in the press? Or is it the mere fact that Berger has broken a serious law regarding the handling of classified material and they prefer not to admit it?
Lets review what Sandy Berger was allowed to do in the Archives...and what he really did:
1) Mr. Berger was allowed to review classified documents pertaining to his pending testimony, but was not allowed to leave with said documents under any circumstances (He did anyway)
2) Mr. Berger was allowed to review un-classified documents pertaining to his pending testimony, but was not allowed to leave with said documents under any circumstances. ( Once again he did anyway!)
3) Mr. Berger was allowed to take handwritten notes while he reviewed the un-classifed documents so he would be able to review them at a later date, but he was not allowed to take any handwritten notes from -ANY- classified documents and if he did those said notes would have to be turned in to Archive employees. (3 times must be a charm for him...)
4) Mr. Berger proceded to hide said documents inside his pants, socks and jacket to by pass security ( well hell I'm sure most presidents keep the nuclear security codes in their pants as well...well clinton maybe so why worry)
In the end Berger, a former National Security Advisor, knew full well the rules and regulations regarding the handling of the documents in question but refused to follow them, this is not a case of being absent minded but of willful disregard of national security policy and for those who would some how defend his actions I find them almost as guilty. It is also important to add that Berger resigned from the Kerry Campaign and reports are leaking out that certain members of that campaign, off the record, are pissed at the public discloser of this incident to say the least.