When Obama Said He Would Run the Most Transparent Administration Ever, Who Knew He Was Talking About Intel?
Administrations are always schizo about leaks, fulminating against those that make officials look bad, but strategically leaking information that officials believe casts them in a good light. Then there is the Obama administration, which takes this to a politicized extreme.
Consider stories from just the last month:
- The administration gives the makers of a film about the mission that killed Osama bin Laden unprecedented access to intelligence and Special Operations Command personnel.
- Details about the mission that uncovered a new “underwear bomber” plot are released. It was revealed that a UK passport holding Saudi-born Yemeni had infiltrated Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula, and had been accepted as a suicide bomber. This revelation has British and Saudi intelligence hopping mad.
- Most recently, on Friday, the NYT ran an excerpt from an upcoming David Sanger book revealing that (a) the US was behind the Stuxnet worm that disabled Iranian centrifuges, and (b) the Obama administration had increased the intensity of the program. The administration made no effort to prevent publication of this material, and indeed, it is plainly obvious that it eagerly cooperated with it.
Note that all of these leaks are intended to make the administration look stalwart on national security. Note further that they all are extraordinarily damaging to national security, especially the last two. These leaks are incredibly short-sighted: they compromise the United States’ ability to undertake similar operations in the future and make foreign intelligence services less likely to cooperate in highly sensitive and dangerous operations. The provide details that will make future human- and cyber-intelligence operations far harder to conduct.
And for what? Need you ask why an administration would take such a short sighted view? Right now Obama’s time horizon is five months and counting. Economic news is a litany of dreary stories. Obamacare will likely be struck down by the Supreme Court. Romney is proving to be a more formidable opponent than expected. National security has always been an Achilles Heel for Democratic candidates. Need a map?
And if you are still skeptical that leaking of the most sensitive defense and intelligence operations is political, consider that David Axelrod, the Creature From the Black Lagoon (i.e., Chicago politics) and Red Diaper Baby, regularly attended “kill list” meetings at which Obama decided at whom he would hurl his thunderbolts.
I know that defense, security, and intelligence have always been politicized, and that leaks have been used as a political weapon. But it should be no surprise that this hyper-partisan, hyper-politicized administration has taken damaging leaking to such an egregious extreme.
I have closely observed the conduct of four US presidents, now, and prior to that another one somewhat closely. I have also observed the conduct of several foreign presidents.
I have never seen anyone as cynical as this one – and this was obvious from the days of him announcing his candidacy. All I can think of this one is a jerk with a smile on his face. I thought Clinton was a sleaze ball, but this one exceeds any imagination when it comes to sleaziness veiled with a smile.
Comment by MJ — June 3, 2012 @ 8:31 am
At this point I would’ve taken Clinton in a second instead of this arrogant, ignorant and plain stupid useful idiot. Let’s vote him out of the office!!!
Comment by voroBey — June 3, 2012 @ 10:28 am
[…] has been ruined by a government official with an agenda. Richard Nixon wasn’t the first, and Obama’s administration won’t be the […]
Pingback by They Are Watching You: Why Dodd-Frank Should Be Repealed | Points and Figures — June 8, 2012 @ 5:09 am
I find this article to reinforce the conclusion of excessive narcissism we made all along:
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/06/08/what-do-historians-really-think-obama/
Comment by MJ — June 8, 2012 @ 11:24 pm
[…] US has been ruined by a government official with an agenda. Richard Nixon wasn’t the first, and Obama’s administration won’t be the […]
Pingback by They Are Watching You: Why Dodd-Frank Should Be Repealed - Rise of the Right — June 9, 2012 @ 5:36 am
[…] US has been ruined by a government official with an agenda. Richard Nixon wasn’t the first, and Obama’s administration won’t be the […]
Pingback by They Are Watching You: Why Dodd-Frank Should Be Repealed - OBAMA-B-GONE — June 9, 2012 @ 8:00 am
Where is the Professor????
Comment by LadderLogic — June 15, 2012 @ 5:58 pm
[…] This whole leak thing in the Obama administration is pretty bad. […]
Pingback by Breakfast Links | Points and Figures — June 18, 2012 @ 6:02 am