Yesterday the NY Times referenced (another?) classified report indicating that the Insurgency in Iraq has become financially self-sufficient.

The insurgency in Iraq is now self-sustaining financially, raising tens of millions of dollars a year from oil smuggling, kidnapping, counterfeiting, connivance by corrupt Islamic charities and other crimes that the Iraqi government and its American patrons have been largely unable to prevent, a classified United States government report has concluded.

The report, obtained by The New York Times, estimates that groups responsible for many insurgent and terrorist attacks are raising $70 million to $200 million a year from illegal activities. It says $25 million to $100 million of that comes from oil smuggling and other criminal activity involving the state-owned oil industry, aided by “corrupt and complicit” Iraqi officials.

As much as $36 million a year comes from ransoms paid for hundreds of kidnap victims, the report says. It estimates that unnamed foreign governments — previously identified by American officials as including France and Italy — paid $30 million in ransom last year.

I am not the least bit surprised. Terrorism rarely has funding problems. The combination of Islamic puppets and oil rich Saudi Princes is bound to keep any Islamic Terrorist movements in more funding that they can spend.

I am more concerned by what appears to be yet another classified government report that has been made available to the Times, and which the Times has reported on without any consideration of the classified status.

A copy of the seven-page report was made available to The Times by American officials who said the findings could improve understanding of the challenges the United States faces in Iraq.

Dose Freedom of the press exempt organizations like the NY Times from concerns as trivial as National Security? Can we trust a news organization to decide which secrets are important enough to keep, and which can be made front page news? Obviously not.

The Times cannot say that they did not know the report was classified, as they acknowledge it was in their very article.

… the document has a bold heading on the front page saying “secret” and a warning that it is not to be shared with foreign governments …

How long can The Defense Department and Justice Department continue to permit the NY Times to publish classified information and do nothing? This is at least the third time in recent history when the NY Times has published information that was labeled classified. It is naive at best to think our enemies do not process our news looking for clues.

While this report may not have uncovered any federal secrets, at list in what the NY Times printed, that is no excuse for such lack of consideration.

The NY Times needs to be investigated for these leaks, their sources needed to be shut down and prosecuted, and a clear message to other news agencies must be sent. It is only a matter of time before people die due to partisan news coverage.

Also Reporting:
Captains Quarters
Wizbang