The New York Post uses the T—word ("Treason") in the headline (The Gray Lady Toys with Treason")of its lead editorial today, discussing the New York Times' publication of classified information likely to aid and comfort the enemy in Iraq:

Has The New York Times declared itself to be on the front line in the war against the War on Terror?

The self—styled paper of record seems to be trying to reclaim the loyalty of those radical lefties who ludicrously accused it of uncritically reporting on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.

Yet the paper has done more than merely try to embarrass the Bush administration these last few months.

It has published classified information — and thereby knowingly blown the covers of secret programs and agencies engaged in combating the terrorist threat.

The most notorious example was the paper's disclosure some 10 days ago that, since 9/11, the Bush administration has "secretly" engaged in warrantless eavesdropping on U.S.—based international phone calls and e—mails.

It's not secret anymore, of course — though the folks who reacted to the naming of Valerie Plame as a CIA operative aren't exactly shrieking for another grand jury investigation.

The long editorial details several ways in which the paper has actively hampered anti—terror and olther national security efforts, and then concludes:

The end result of the paper's flagrant irresponsibility: Lives have been put in danger on the international, national and local levels.

The ability of the nation to perform the most fundamental mission of any government — protection of its citizens — has been pointlessly compromised.

The Jayson Blair and Judith Miller fias coes were high—profile embarrass ments for The Times, but at the end of the day mostly damaged the newspaper alone.

The NSA, CIA and NYPD stories are of a different order of magnitude — they place in unnecessary danger the lives of U.S. citizens.

The New York Times — a once—great and still—powerful institution — is badly in need of adult supervision.

Hat tip: Dick Weltz