House Republican leaders are expected to introduce a resolution condemning The New York Times for publishing a story last week that exposed government monitoring of banking records.  The resolution is expected to condemn the leak and publication of classified documents.  This resolution comes as Republicans from the presedent on down condemn media organizations for reporting on the secret government program that tracked financial recors from the U.S. to overseas countries.

The Standing Committee, which is a legislative commitee that exist beyond the adjournment of the legislative body, decided which orginizations and reporters can be accredited, according to the rules of both the House and Senate press galleries.

The chairwoman of the Standing Committee of Correspondents and a Boston Globe reporter, Susan Mulligan, said that under no circumstances would they revoke anyone's credentials simply because a government official is unhappy with what the reporter's newspaper has written.

President Bush criticized the reports calling the disclosure disgraceful and a great harm to national security.  Vice President Dick Cheney is also voicing support for the program.

I think that if this program goes through, this will be the beginning of the end to free press in the United States.  I just don't see how the government can be allowed to take away our voice.  I'm not saying that every issue of national security should be leaked because it shouldn't be made a public matter.  The person responsible is the person that leaked the information not the press.  I stand right along side The New York Times Executive Editor Bill Kellen when he said that a free press is the key check on the goverment's abuse of power.