Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) has been catching a lot of flak for his addiction to Twitter: During a recent congressional visit to Iraq, Hoekstra discovered that he had BlackBerry service in Baghdad ("Just landed in Baghdad. I believe it may be first time I've had bb service in Iraq") and went on to post several tweets as he moved around the capital.

The congressional trip was supposed to be a secret, but Hoekstra – a member of the House Intelligence Committee – broke the embargo with his Twitter updates. Congressional Quarterly's sharp-eyed John Donnelly took note; Twitterversy ensued.

As anyone who's caught the Rhino to the Green Zone knows, revealing information about convoy movements or itineraries is a big operational security no-no. Same goes for VIP trips to war zones. Courtney Littig, the spokeswoman for the Democrats on the Intelligence Committee, told the New York Times: “Generally speaking, we encourage the members to hold off on any communication until they are wheels down at Andrews Air Force Base.”

Hoekstra's defense, posted yesterday on his website: Democrats do it too. "President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, Secretary Clinton, and even Chairman Reyes are among the many Democrats who have announced their travel to Iraq or other sensitive destinations before arrival or while in country, and have participated in publicized events abroad before returning to the United States," he said.

Partisan sniping aside, this whole controversy says more about the paranoiac level of official security that persists to this day in Iraq, despite the drop in violence. The Green Zone, one of the most heavily fortified places on the planet, is still the place where you are most likely to get your tweezers confiscated.

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