Upper Echelon.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)

National Security: Charles Schumer thinks that whoever disclosed that we were eavesdropping on al-Qaida is a whistle-blower who deserves praise. And maybe he'd like to see Benedict Arnold's face on Mount Rushmore.

Time was in American history when revealing classified information to the enemy would have meant the firing squad. Today, it garners praise from a U.S. senator.

Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Schumer said the investigation into who leaked the fact that the National Security Agency was eavesdropping on calls between overseas terrorists and U.S. residents should focus on the leaker's motivation. "There are differences," he explained, "between felons and whistle-blowers."

Uh-huh. Just as there are between patriots and traitors.

If anyone should be mindful of the privacy rights of American citizens it should be Chuck Schumer. He is also head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, staffers of which illegally obtained a copy of the credit report of Maryland Lt. Gov. and GOP senatorial candidate Michael Steele. But if you asked Sen. Schumer, he'd say the motivations were good.

But before we begin hearings, perhaps Schumer should compare notes with his Senate colleague from New York, Hillary Rodham Clinton. Sen. Clinton finally broke her silence on the NSA surveillance program in a fundraising letter, listing among her criticisms of the Bush administration: "A secret program that spies on Americans!" Imagine that.

The program authorized by President Bush limits surveillance to calls between suspected overseas terrorists and their possible American operatives. It searches for calls between, say, Yemen and Buffalo, not between Denver and Cleveland. It searches for calls such as those the 9-11 Commission said were made between two of ...