Those on Bush’s side say the Kerry campaign is insisting on having briefings outside of Washington — a hardship for top CIA officials during a time of heightened threats — and is demanding that an unusually large number of Kerry advisers be permitted to participate in the highly classified sessions. Those on Kerry’s side say it is the Bush administration that has been slow to deal with the logistics, including security clearances, needed for the briefings.

The result is that at a time when access to sensitive intelligence is more important than ever for national leaders, a skirmish between the White House and the Kerry campaign has postponed the sort of intelligence-sharing that has been standard during presidential races over the past half-century.

This is interesting, because George H. W. Bush gets regular CIA briefings, as is the right of any ex-president. I would bet he’s not flying in to D.C. every week to get them.