I am a fan of the escapist novels from Vince Flynn, where his protagonist--counter-terror operative Mitch Rapp--does things his own way, rules be damned!
However, during the heady days of the Bush administration, I always found it almost unrealistic the way that Flynn painted the extreme opposition of some partisan political hacks to the way Rapp produced results, even if those methods were above board. They would stop at nothing to expose, or ruin attempts to thwart terrorists because it didn't fit their neat little academic reluctance to let rough men do violence on their behalf. I guess I found it made for a good story, but a little over the top.
Then came the Obama administration....
The assault is relentless. It is enraging. And today, the Obama administration's assault on those who dare to defend America from terrorist thugs who rejoice in publicizing beheadings, mass murder, and pure evil are on notice: "You will be punished. We're coming after you."
The target audience now includes the American Warrior. The Obama administration has abdicated the Warrior's defense, refusing to appeal the 2nd Circuit's decision that more photos should be released from investigations of the detention of enemy fighters from the battlefield. The Obama administration has sided with the ACLU and abandoned our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. This cannot stand.
[...]
The next logical step for this anti-military administration is to submit the American Warrior to the jurisdiction of a kangaroo International Criminal Court. Don't think the American Warrior isn't watching and thinking. International law, rather than American sovereignty, is all the rage these days in the White House after all.
The Warrior will begin to question precisely what it is that he risks all to defend. And when faced with the fact that he may remain undefended in doing so, his risk expands and the once-booming clarion call to service reduces to distant whispers.
And that will be . . . the end.
In this, a darkening hour....wherforearthou Mitch Rapp??
Instapundit says:
"I’D FEEL SORRIER FOR THE C.I.A. FOLKS, if they hadn’t run a multiyear leak-war against the Bush Administration. Did they really think electing Obama would improve their situation?"
That sentiment would make sense if the CIA was a monolithic organization and voting bloc. However we are really talking about two different worlds within one agency.
The folks that Glenn would, and should, feel sorry for at this moment are the dispirited members of the Agency's Directorate of Operations. These are the 'brawny' operatives work in the shadows and handle unpleasant business. Many of them come to the agency from the world of military Special Forces. As such, they probably didn't vote overwhelmingly for President Obama, or wage any war against President Bush
On the other hand, the Analysis side of the house (where most of those pesky leaks probably came from) is filled with....analysts! These are not people who used to hang their professional hat at Ft Bragg or Coronado. They are the 'brainy' types who hold post-graduate degrees in International Affairs or such, and are far more likely to have a "Hope" bumpersticker on their Prius in the parking lot at Langley than their DO counterparts. As a whole they are not a bad crowd, but it within them where the problem existed for President Bush and his policies.
So, in short...these days when it comes to the CIA, it is the 'brawny' that does deserve sympathy, while some of the 'brainy' that deserve contempt...
UPDATE: Welcome Instapundit readers. Glenn points out "If CIA leadership had wanted to shut down those leaks, I think it probably could have." About this he is correct. And in fact I should have also originally included 'leadership' as a third culture within the agency. However, the Leadership would tend to be/look like the 'brainy' Analysts, with the further negative factor that it is also filled with lawyers!
Reason runs with a quote from Barney Frank on freedoms, and says "2 out of 3 ain't bad":
"I would let people gamble on the Internet," Frank said. "I would let adults smoke marijuana; I would let adults do a lot of things, if they choose."
He added: "But allowing them total freedom to take on economic obligations that spill over into the broader society? The individual is not the only one impacted here, when bad decisions get made in the economic sphere, it causes problems."
With all due respect to Reason and libertarianism, and with a little bit of tongue-in-cheek, my response would be...'Yeah Barney, cause we know no one ever made bad decisions while gambling or smoking pot'
Reason asks a great question today....
"Is the Government Acting Like a Payday Lender?"
Earlier this week when thinking about the refusal of the Federal Govt to take back TARP moeny offered up by banks who wanted out of the deal, I was reminded of one of the major underlying stories in the movie "Barbershop".
In that subplot, Calvin the barber (played by Ice Cube) decides to sell out his barbershop to the sleazy loan shark (played by Keith Daivid) Mr. Wallace. Wallace quickly decides to turn the shop into a strip club. This causes Calvin to try to return the money, but Wallace refuses to take it back.
After Calvin drops the money on Mr. Wallace's desk and tries to run for it, he is chased through the streets by Wallace's thug, who repeatedly screams "Take this money!" and Calvin screams back "I don't want it!" After said thug catches Calvin, he shoves the envelope of money into Calvin's chest and growls "This money is *yours*...you hear me?!"
I can envision Tim Geithner chasing some regretful corporate CEO across the Washington Mall screaming "Take this money!"
While Reason is asking the right question, they are a bit off on their comparison. A payday loan operation, while somewhat sleazy, is usually at least regulated in its actions.
What the Obama/Geithner operation is operating like is a street level loanshark.
I wonder when we will see the thugs unleashed.....
(Hat tip: Instapundit)
Coming soon from DHS Productions....
"It Could Happen Here!"
A PRESENTATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
JANET NAPOLITANO, DIRECTOR
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
AND THE HOUSE ANTI-TAX ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE
At this very moment dangerous subversive extremist elements are infiltrating our communities and schools, bent on destroying our American Way of Life. These are the shadowy forces of International Constitutionalism. Agents from the Department of Homeland Security are on the trail of these nefarious Red State saboteurs, but it will take a vigilant public - including ordinary high school students like you - to help bring them to justice before it's too late. Only with your help can we preserve the American Way!
Socialized Medicine....best of intentions....unintended consequences...
Cause:
"Here's something that has gotten lost in the drive to institute universal health insurance: Health insurance doesn't automatically lead to health care. And with more and more doctors dropping out of one insurance plan or another, especially government plans, there is no guarantee that you will be able to see a physician no matter what coverage you have."
Effect:
"A woman died in labour in a hospital lavatory after her induction was delayed because of a lack of specialist staff, an inquest was told yesterday."
Is paving the road to hell with good intentions considered a "shovel-ready project"??
When I saw this picture from a summit in Trinidad and Tobago posted today on The Corner, I immediately thought of a famous quote from GWB....
"I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and
trustworthy….I was able to get a sense of his soul."
According to the NYT, Chavez hosted a "meeting of leftist governments in Venezuela" prior to this summit. What with all that has and is likely to happen this year, perhaps the U.S. will qualify for an invite to Chavez' meeting next year.....
There is so much to critique about the egregious performance by CNN's Susan Roesgen, and much of it has already been done.
However, I have not seen much on her lack of comprehension of the motivations of the Tea Parties. She seems to think it is all about taxes, when it is so much more than that. But even so, she still doesn't get it even on that subject.
First, when she schreeches at inquires of the apparently ignorant extremists protesters that didn't they know about the benevolent federal's government's $400 tax credit? As if that would make it all better.... She doesn't comprehend that those who were at the protests don't want the government to take that money from us in the first place. If you let us keep more of our own money to raise our children, we would not need a tax credit to help us pay to raise our children.... Independence versus Dependence. What a concept....
Second, she once again tries to educate the unwashed about how much manna was falling onto Illinois from Heaven Washington DC, without understanding that these people were precisely angry because that very money was going to come out of their very own pockets....and their children's pockets. Why would she think that these people would be happy to accept that money?
Like much of the liberal side of the political spectrum, the media thinks that if something is handed out by the government, it must be good. And they can't understand it when some people would refuse that handout, or object that they are forced to subsidize it.
The liberals are used to those people who gladly accept those handouts...but those people are usually never the ones who are made to subsidize it with their taxes. And now they are forced to see those subsidizers, strange apparitions called 'taxpayers', perhaps for the first time. It is as if these strangers and their stranger customs had just wandered out of the jungle in New Guinea.
Real taxpayers...a new and angry species...apparently something to feared...and definitely not suitable for family viewing....
When I was driving this afternoon, I saw a few bales of hay outside of a store, where you not expect to see bales of hay. I thought it strange, but gave it no further thought....
Now I know why....
How did I not see that coming?
