| http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/whispers/whisphome.htm
WHISPER OF THE DAY A new kind of plumbers' unit The White House "plumbers' unit" has been revived, but not to crack the safes of political enemies as it did for Richard Nixon. The job of President Bush's team is to plug leaks–the "loose lips sink ships" kind. Insiders say, for example, that even Bush's daily schedule is now top secret. It used to be handed out like candy to reporters the night before, but now Bush aides act as if they don't know what the boss is up to. Our tipsters say it's driven by security concerns for the prez and is part of a larger Secret Service assassination contingency plan activated by the September 11 terror attacks. Aides are told not to make light of the rule. "A leak with regard to the president's schedule is tantamount to treason," is how one aide explained the rules. The leak patrol has also turned its attention to Capitol Hill, which is receiving far less sensitive intelligence thanks to Sen. Orrin Hatch's blabbing of sensitive info he thought was unclassified. Proof: Bush didn't alert some Pennsylvania lawmakers that their governor would head a homeland security office. |
