EXCLUSIVE: White House Forbids Publication Of Op-Ed On Iran By Former Bush Official

[CatWoman]

Middle East analyst Flynt Leverett, who served under President Bush on the National Security Council and is now a fellow at the New America Foundation, revealed today that the White House has been blocking the publication of an op-ed he wrote for the New York Times. The column is critical of the administration’s refusal to engage Iran.

Leverett’s op-ed has already been cleared by the CIA, where he was a senior analyst. Leverett explained, “I’ve been doing this for three and a half years since leaving government, and I’ve never had to go to the White House to get clearance for something that I was publishing as long as the CIA said, ‘Yeah, you’re not putting classified information.’”

According to Leverett the op-ed was “all based on stuff that Secretary Powell, Secretary Rice, Deputy Secretary Armitage have talked about publicly. It’s been extensively reported in the media.” Leverett says the incident shows “just how low people like Elliot Abrams at the NSC will stoop to try and limit the dissemination of arguments critical of the administration’s policy.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/12/15/nyt-cia-oped/

[Redstone]

1. What First Amendment?

Redstone

[pdxmom]

2. So what happens if it's published anyway? If it's all public info

and there is nothing for the administration to accuse him of, why can't it just be published. Call their bluff.

[stillcool]

3. ask the publisher...

[Olney Blue]

4. Freedom of the press? We don't need no stinking freedom.

[in_cog_ni_to]

5. The NYT should just publish it. The WH isn't suppose to be controlling the media.

They didn't seem to mind the bullshit stories Judith Miller wrote. HELL, if they're too chicken shit to publish it, GIVE IT TO KEITH OLBERMANN TO READ ON THE AIR! He'll show 'em how it's done.

[scarletwoman]

6. Well, then, he ought to give it to the blogs. Let the cheney regime take him to court.

Let's see if we still have a Constitution or not.

sw

[nealmhughes]

7. Eliot "Te amo Roberto Aubusson" Abrams low? No way!

Why he saved Central America, didn't he?

:sarcasm:

[burythehatchet]

8. once a felon, always a felon

Eliot Abrams is a man who has escaped public scrutiny. But if more people knew of his crimes ...