CHENEY  (CONT)

The inability to reconstruct the exact nature of the security breach was why Berger got off so easy, via a plea agreement that brought him only a fine and probation.

Still, Berger was out of office when he executed his secrecy shuffle.

What's most striking - and troubling - about the Bush administration is how some of its leading ideological lights repeatedly treat national secrets like personal political real estate.

When John Bolton was undersecretary of state for arms control during the first Bush term, he misused his access to top-secret National Security Agency wire intercepts to praise the cleverness of one of the U.S. officials whose comments had been recorded.

Cheney misused Iraq weapons secrets both to sell the war and then to deflect attention from his role in formulating the sales pitch. Now that he's been caught hoarding those secrets, he's misusing his clout to try to sweep aside the officials who are challenging him.

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