In a question-and-answer session afterwards, he did have some positive words for journalists, praising them for “getting themselves up to speed” since Sept. 11.

“I think that we’re under-informed is a matter of ignorance, not of willful neglect,” Benjamin said.

“The government needs to understand the importance of having educated journalists reporting on this issue,” he added. “And intelligence is not an easy area to infiltrate without government help and cooperation.”

But Benjamin acknowledged the very real problem of reporters using anonymous sources to reveal information concerning national security.

He criticized both Bob Woodward from the Washington Post and Seymour Hersh from the New Yorker, two of the “big-names” in journalism who he said “cavalierly” revealed national concerns “no rational journalist would reveal.”

His conclusion echoed the warnings laced throughout his speech.

“We have a timing problem with the possible war on Iraq. By making Saddam our priority we will confirm to al Qaeda their belief that the U.S. is making war on the Islamic world.”