The Leak: National Security At Risk!
But I'm not talking about The Plame affair here. I'm talking about this recent little gem exposed by Washington Post writer Dana Patrick: "CIA Holds Terror Suspects in Secret Prisons."
Phew! Talk about a National Security breach; any time the citizenry knows of the dire circumstances in which their country places them in the name of super-double-secret torture prisons... Phew! An informed populace is a dangerous one, folks.
And so, thanks to Bill Frist [and presumably DeLay and undoubtedly one of those shrill caterwaulings of Karl Rove] the Powers That Be want to open a new investigation into The Leak. Because one leak [ orchestrated for political gain by White House insiders] is a-ok. But two leaks [orchestrated by unknown entities likely for purposes of national disclosure, not private political gain] is absolutely unthinkable!
Without... keep in mind... ever following through on any of the previous investigations of relevance: 9/11, The Plame Affair, any Katrina investigation.
Good work boys. Glad to see you've come back to play.
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It's come to mind that there's a vital difference between the Plame Affair leak investigation and this possible investigation. Of course there's desperate political opportunism from the empowered party.
But this particular article has a value that Novak's article never had- a social relevance. This article exposes what the government is doing in the name of its constituents- it is that element of the first amendment which preserves informed decision-making in the Democracy. It enables and fuels a cultural debate on the ethic of the current American War. It tells us something about our government which we didn't know; which has been kept secret from even us; and whose results we have no way to determine. We can't even evaluate torture, in a way, because it has been held so far from us.
The Plame Affair leak had always been senseless- the only purpose it served was to discredit Joseph Wilson [a task that is ongoing- on Hardball last night at least one right-wing guest still assured us that Wilson, in the end, is to blame as the Great Fabricator]. It did not inform public choice- it saught to discredit a dissenting political opinion in The Administration's precious war, but it did not seek to do so through valuable information- it saught to do so through malicious exposure.
So an investigation like this is certainly valid within the CIA [and, as with the Plame Affair, if the CIA asks for an inquiry and investigation, they have that legal right]. But the pre-determination by the Republican leadership that it is more important for the means and results of the wars to be completely out of reach of accountability is a self-servicing one, isn't it...
Phew! Talk about a National Security breach; any time the citizenry knows of the dire circumstances in which their country places them in the name of super-double-secret torture prisons... Phew! An informed populace is a dangerous one, folks.
And so, thanks to Bill Frist [and presumably DeLay and undoubtedly one of those shrill caterwaulings of Karl Rove] the Powers That Be want to open a new investigation into The Leak. Because one leak [ orchestrated for political gain by White House insiders] is a-ok. But two leaks [orchestrated by unknown entities likely for purposes of national disclosure, not private political gain] is absolutely unthinkable!
Without... keep in mind... ever following through on any of the previous investigations of relevance: 9/11, The Plame Affair, any Katrina investigation.
Good work boys. Glad to see you've come back to play.
-----
It's come to mind that there's a vital difference between the Plame Affair leak investigation and this possible investigation. Of course there's desperate political opportunism from the empowered party.
But this particular article has a value that Novak's article never had- a social relevance. This article exposes what the government is doing in the name of its constituents- it is that element of the first amendment which preserves informed decision-making in the Democracy. It enables and fuels a cultural debate on the ethic of the current American War. It tells us something about our government which we didn't know; which has been kept secret from even us; and whose results we have no way to determine. We can't even evaluate torture, in a way, because it has been held so far from us.
The Plame Affair leak had always been senseless- the only purpose it served was to discredit Joseph Wilson [a task that is ongoing- on Hardball last night at least one right-wing guest still assured us that Wilson, in the end, is to blame as the Great Fabricator]. It did not inform public choice- it saught to discredit a dissenting political opinion in The Administration's precious war, but it did not seek to do so through valuable information- it saught to do so through malicious exposure.
So an investigation like this is certainly valid within the CIA [and, as with the Plame Affair, if the CIA asks for an inquiry and investigation, they have that legal right]. But the pre-determination by the Republican leadership that it is more important for the means and results of the wars to be completely out of reach of accountability is a self-servicing one, isn't it...
posted by General Stan at 11:00 AM
1 Comments:
That's not a bad idea. they can certainly afford it.
But then, that would be violating their principle of personal responsibility. Even though it is apparently in their wishes, I doubt they'd be willing to toss in on that.
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