Bradley Manning and James Rosen are not the same

The notorious WikiLeaks secret spiller isn't a reporter. He's a source

Bradley Manning
(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

The timing of the recent exposure of Department of Justice snooping on the Associated Press and Fox News' James Rosen couldn't have been worse for the White House. The IRS scandal had just exploded, and the emergence of three State Department whistle-blowers had brought Benghazi back to the front burner. With the media outraged over the aggressive snooping and allegations of espionage against reporters for doing what reporters have always done — court insiders for secrets — the media suddenly has become a lot less sympathetic to the Obama administration at precisely the moment that the White House needs journalists the most.

The timing isn't bad for everyone, though. As the media wrestles with the Obama administration's snooping, the trial of an American soldier also accused of espionage started this week. The juxtaposition has some wondering whether the court-martial of Bradley Manning over the WikiLeaks scandal falls into the same category as the Department of Justice's pursuit of reporters, which was motivated by DOJ's zeal to plug leaks of classified information. Because they all involve America's national-security interest in stopping leaks, the cases of Manning, Rosen, and the AP have similar stakes.

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Edward Morrissey

Edward Morrissey has been writing about politics since 2003 in his blog, Captain's Quarters, and now writes for HotAir.com. His columns have appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Post, The New York Sun, the Washington Times, and other newspapers. Morrissey has a daily Internet talk show on politics and culture at Hot Air. Since 2004, Morrissey has had a weekend talk radio show in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and often fills in as a guest on Salem Radio Network's nationally-syndicated shows. He lives in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota with his wife, son and daughter-in-law, and his two granddaughters. Morrissey's new book, GOING RED, will be published by Crown Forum on April 5, 2016.