GRAND ISLAND, Nebraska — Vice President Dick Cheney accused the news media Monday of making ‘the job of defending against further terrorist attacks more difficult.’ Cheney zeroed in on The New York Times in condemning the press for ‘publishing detailed information about vital national security programs.’ The attack, launched at a fund-raising luncheon for Republican congressional nominee Adrian Smith, was triggered by a story in The Times last week revealing a terrorist financial tracking program. Cheney also pointed to earlier news reports disclosing secret communications surveillance conducted without court approval. ‘The New York Times has now made it more difficult for us to prevent attacks in the future,’ the vice president declared. ‘Publishing this highly classified information about our sources and methods for collecting intelligence will enable the terrorists to look for ways to defeat our efforts,’ he said. Cheney’s criticism coincided with President Bush’s condemnation of the financial tracking disclosure during remarks to reporters at the White House on Monday. The sharp attack on The Times by Cheney, whose former chief-of-staff, Scooter Libby, has been accused of leaking national security information to the newspaper, stole the thunder at the GOP event. […]