Obama Wants To 'Balance' Press Freedom and Security Concerns

Pro tip: Any time you try to "balance" freedom, freedom loses

President Obama addressed the Justice Dept.'s seizure of Associated Press phone records during a joint press briefing in the White House Rose Garden on Thursday, stressing the need to "find balance" between national security and "the free flow of information."

"Leaks related to national security can put people at risk. They can put men and women in uniform that I've sent into the battlefield at risk. They can put some of our intelligence officers, who are in various, dangerous situations that are easily compromised, at risk," the president said. "U.S. national security is dependent on those folks being able to operate with confidence that folks back home have their backs, so they're not just left out there high and dry, and potentially put in even more danger than they may already be. And so I make no apologies, and I don't think the American people would expect me as Commander-in-Chief not to be concerned about information that might compromise their missions or might get them killed."