Fourth Estate Or A State Onto Itself? The Gray Lady Targets Secret Iraq War Allies

It exposed the NSA's monitoring of phone calls between Al Quaida and the USA, after sitting on the story for a year. The leak may have hobbled a valuable intelligence tactic. (Has anyone come forward yet with evidence that he/she has been damaged or victimized by the monitoring?)

The New York Times Abu Gharaib-ed the world, four-walling photos and accounts of a few rogue soldier/guards. Those reports helped spark riots, weakened our position, and made the U.S. look worse (if possible) around the world.

Today the Times unveils a new mission: destabilizing three Iraq War allies and embarrassing their governments in one fell swoop.

The article reveals secret help we received for the Iraq War from Germany, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, three countries that for many reasons took varyingly tough public stances against helping the U.S.

This must be reassuring to governments that have helped the U.S. anywhere in the world. Are they cringing, waiting for their assistance to be revealed in the New York Times, too?

The next time we ask for help and promise to keep it quiet will the ambassador or foreign minister thrown down a copy of today's New York Times story and ask, "How can we believe you?"

Who leaked this one? The CIA, an unhappy German intelligence officer?