Just a year ago we were told al Qaeda was done, President Obama “got Osama bin Laden” in May, 2011 cutting of the head of al Qaeda and President Obama, with Drone strikes in Yemen that September, destroyed al Qaeda’s heart (Anwar al–Awlaki) and body. More on this.

We were supposed to believe that Islamic terrorism could not recover from the loss of Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and of its number one source of growth, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Large numbers of American voters indeed went to the polls last November firmly believing because, “bin Laden is dead and GM is alive,” we were safe from Islamic terrorism. Many of us have chronicled the growth and spread of al Qaeda linked terrorists for the past year. American patriots have been dismayed that our Government could only helplessly watch—not stop—the Tamerlan Brothers in Boston. We may not have been surprised but we should be pleased that we “intercepted chatter” about “something big” from al Qaeda linked terrorists that led to closing these 19 Embassies and Consulates:

According to CBS:

The terrorism threat that prompted the U.S. government to close nearly two-dozen embassies and consulates surfaced when intelligence analysts intercepted electronic communications between top al Qaeda leaders, CBS News’ Bob Orr has learned.

Al Qaeda chief Ayman al Zawahiri and Nasir al-Wuhayshi, the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), were discussing “something big,” sources say. It’s rare for veteran al Qaeda leaders to break operational security by openly discussing possible plots, and the interception stunned U.S. officials.

Sources confirm for CBS News that the intercepted electronic conversation occurred between the top leadership of core Al Qaeda in the tribal areas of Pakistan and the head of Yemen based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Nassir al-Wuhayshi

One source said that the tone of the conversation was serious and had a sense of urgency, reports CBS News senior investigative producer Pat Milton.

The source said the sense of the directive from al Qaeda leadership was pushing for AQAP to move forward with an attack. The source said that the urging was to have the attack coincide with the conclusion of Ramadan and to ensure that it was a “big” attack.

However there were no specifics discussed, making it unclear whether AQAP was being urged to execute a plot already in the works or to develop one and then carry it out.

AQAP, the most active and charged among the al Qaeda network, “is of particular concern” to the U.S., White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday. The affiliate, he said, “has demonstrated both an interest in and a willingness to attempt serious attacks on the United States, our allies and our people.”

AQAP been battered by drone strikes. Deputy commander Saed al-Shihri was killed earlier this year, CBS News Orr reports. But, counter-terrorism officials warn AQAP remains dangerous and capable of inflicting serious damage.

While the U.S. intercepted the communications, the intelligence remains incomplete, leaving it unclear what the planned attack may entail. American embassies and consulates will remain closed in 19 Middle Eastern and African countries through Saturday.

Here’s the problem, there was highly classified American National Security intelligence in that CBS report—and every report in news outlets worldwide—that, unlike information leaked by Edward Snowden—will help our enemies and lead to the death of many Americans and untold other innocents.

Compare the Snowden classified leak and President Obama’s politically motivated release of National Security information just published worldwide.

Some call the leaker Edward Snowden a whistleblower. Those would include his father and a real whistleblower and patriot Thomas Drake. But others angrily labeled him a traitor. Former Vice President Cheney, a hero of mine, vigorously denounced Snowden as a traitor. Cheney very likely had good reason. The more that is revealed about fourth Amendment violations in the Bush years, the more tarnished Vice President Cheney is likely to look. Another example is John Bolton, the foreign policy leader for those who think like me. I would be remiss if I did not include naming my friend, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann who declared that Snowden “jeopardized American safety when the NSA had done nothing against the law.”

Actually we do not know that the NSA had done nothing against the law. It is almost certain that the law is violated by some NSA operative on a daily basis. What we do know, that we did not know before, is that the NSA  gathers telephone, email, Web traffic patterns and usage and more about every American every second of every of every hour of every day. Any analyst at any one of several agencies can access that information at will. That alone should cause a citizen uprising. Perhaps in time it will.

I’m not interest in defending Snowden who left America. But let’s apply Congresswoman Bachmann’s standard for traitor as we turn to President Obama. The Bachmann standard for traitor is to jeopardize American safety (presumably by letting the enemy know our secrets). So let’s turn to President Obama and the handling of our National Security secrets in the past day.

“Al Qaeda chief Ayman al Zawahiri and Nasir al-Wuhayshi, the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula were discussing something big.” In my view, that the world—specifically including every al Qaeda terrorist from Ayman al Zawahiri and Nasir al-Wuhayshi on down—knows we had compromised the enemie’s phones. Those phones are gone. The “chatter” we were hearing has now dried up. How much time will it take us to compromise the enemy communication at that level again. Perhaps more important, how many secret sources did we compromise by revealing that we heard the plan made between the two top enemy leaders? For what? For Obama’s political benefit.

We are confident the producers of screenwriter Mark Boal’s Zero Dark Thirty received classified information about the search and capture/death of Osama bin Laden from Leon Panetta and the Department of Defense. Decide for yourself if Mr. Boal’s deal could have gotten inside sensitive information without a nod from President Obama. Here’s the Zero Dark Thirty trailer:

And here is a trailer from Dishonorable Disclosures: (The actual video is far more powerful and credible. Take the time to watch it):

President Obama is more dangerous than Edward Snowden. It is more important that we understand he has done more than anyone has ever done to diminish America and American interests. Early in 2009, he instituted this Foreign Policy, “If you are our friend, shame on you; if you are our enemy, shame on us. America has not been weaker or less respected in my lifetime—and perhaps ever—than she is today. We may not be able to successfully charge and convict President Obama of treason but we can when we encounter Obama voters let them know they bear the responsibility.

One more note on Edward Snowden. Snowden has done America damage. Not because he let Americans know the tip of the Government intelligence gathering iceberg on each and every American. We needed to know that.  But he ran to Hong Kong and, as you know, now has asylum in Russia. One should see that as a choice between the frying pan and the fire. If Mr. Snowden thought the restrictive “frying pan” heat of America’s heavy hand was too much, he should take a run at the heat of the heavy handed “Soviet fire.” Snowden is not a traitor but he is not an admirable patriot in any sense.