Casualties mounting

Just when it seemed the Bush administration was about to fade into historical disrepute, federal prosecutors have convinced a grand jury to subpoena a New York Times reporter who wrote a book about the CIA. In a move reminiscent of earlier administration efforts to restrict freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, writer James Risen was ordered to appear before the Alexandria, Va., grand jury on Feb. 7 to answer questions about a chapter in his 2006 book, State of War. In the chapter, Risen says the CIA unsuccessfully tried to infiltrate Iran's nuclear program. The information was never published in the New York Times. But that's not the point. Freedom of speech and of the press is, and how much is that going to be worth if the government is going to go after writers who say things it doesn't like? What's next — the blogosphere police?