Barack Obama: ?Leaker-in-chief??

The Obama administration is scrambling to show that it?s not leaking sensitive national security?secrets in order to enhance President Obama?s chances in the presidential race.

By Brad Knickerbocker,?Staff writer / June 9, 2012

After a closed-door meeting with National Intelligence Director James Clapper, the four leaders of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees hold a news conference, on Capitol Hill Thursday to discuss the recent spate of classified national security information leaks. From left are, Rep. C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger, D-Md., House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; and Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

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For a president, there are leaks of information that help you and those that can do you in.

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?Deep throat? helped bring down the Nixon administration. Details about the end to Osama bin Laden boosted President Obama?s reputation as a tough-minded commander-in-chief.

Now, the Obama administration is scrambling to show that it?s not leaking national security information ? including sensitive secrets ? in order to enhance Obama?s chances in what?s turning into a close presidential race.

WikiLeaks 101: Top 5 revelations

Ironically, the controversy centers on an administration that has done more than its predecessors to crack down on leaks ? sometimes putting it at odds with whistleblower advocates.

Late Friday, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that he was naming two federal prosecutors ? US Attorney for the District of Columbia Ronald C. Machen Jr. and US Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein ? to lead investigations of possible unauthorized disclosures of classified information.

?In carrying out their assignments, US Attorneys Machen and Rosenstein are fully authorized to prosecute criminal violations discovered as a result of their investigations and matters related to those violations, consult with members of the Intelligence Community and follow all appropriate investigative leads within the Executive and Legislative branches of government,? Attorney General Holder said.

?These two highly-respected and experienced prosecutors will be directing separate investigations currently being conducted by the FBI,? Holder said. ?I have notified members of Congress and plan to provide more information, as appropriate, to members of the Judiciary and Intelligence Committees.?

That nod to Congress is particularly important given the current political atmosphere surrounding the issue, which focuses on three recent stories: Details about Obama?s personal involvement in selecting terrorist targets for drone attack (?kill lists?), US cyber-attacks designed to hamper Iran?s nuclear capability, and an agent who infiltrated Al Qaeda in Yemen, posing as a suicide bomber.

White House and administration national security officials were cited as anonymous sources in these stories, leading Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to call the leaks ?simply unacceptable.?

?A really disturbing aspect of this is that one could draw the conclusion from reading these articles that it is an attempt to further the president?s political ambitions for the sake of his re-election at the expense of our national security,? Senator McCain said on the senate floor this week.

Administration officials deny the charge.

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