Urban Myth — The New WMDs (Weapons of Mass Distortion)

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Defending his decision to authorize the National Security Agency to conduct domestic surveillance without a court order, President Bush assailed the press for “revealing sources, methods and what we use the information for” and thus helping “the enemy” shift operations. He singled out the Washington Times for a 1998 report that mentioned Osama Bin Laden’s use of a cell phone. The NSA, it turned out, was monitoring the phone. Shortly after the article, Bin Laden quit using it. The trouble is, the Times reported, the story wasn’t based on a leak. The Washington Post and Slate did a little archives research the White House might have thought to do first and showed, as the Post said, the Bin Laden story is Urban Myth. (12/22/05)