Washington's Leaky Gut

The current Washington version of Leaky Gut Syndrome isn't about micro-organisms like  yeast, bacteria and parasites, but the GWOT (Global War On Terror) and what to do or not do about it.  Instead of digestion, muscle function, the immune system  etc, what really gets leaked on is President Bush. Specifically, they leak his classified  use of the NSA, CIA, overseas detention, surveillance, interrogation etc.

(Children of the '60's don't mind, of course. They see GWOT as an election ploy dreamed up by Karl Rove, mismanaged by SecDef Donald Rumsfeld, egged on by VP Dick Cheney for Haliburton, and lied about by George Bush for oil cronies.)

 

And who or what makes Washington's gut leak ? Well, instead of caffeine, alcohol, refined carbohydrates, mold, fungal microtoxins or contaminants like cryptosporidium, the activators are usually disgruntled CIA agents and the Mainstream Media,  especially   the Washington Post and the New York Times.

 

The Beltway is aghast (if you believe appearances.) They want to know where is the rule of law. MSM-ers, even before showering each other with Pulitzers based on get-Bush leakers, point to Euro concern over U.S. tactics. The MSM-ers, of course,  neglect to add  that this "Euro concern" was generated by the leakers who unclassified the classified.

 

While some shout about Rule of Law, others, including not-quite-MSM-ers, ask, Where is the Rule of Sense and National Security? Top milblogger Blackfive takes a caustic look at WaPo's  Dana Priest, you might say fisking her fiercely.  There is incisive commentary from the seaworthy Captain Ed, who looks at the Wapo Priest's definition of "assassination" and the CIA's continued punishing of Bush for trying to house-clean the CIA. There is also the insightful ShrinkWrapped, a professional psychoanalyst, putting the New York Times where it increasingly may need to be as credibility plummets like its latest circulation figures--on a couch.

 

Note a gathering storm of cries for outing the leakers. And yes, finally, the White House now appears to be taking action. Is it now listening to those shouting, ROOT THEM OUT?  ROOT THE RATS OUT!

 

Will it happen? Or is this just another exercise in Anger Management? Oh, sure, this is about Law.   These leaks are clearly unauthorized, highly illegal and arguably sabotaging the national security of 300 million Americans. But not everyone agrees. Get-Bush doen't agree.  And didn't the faithful Clintonite, Sandy (sic) Burglar, after making off from the National Archives with exceptionally secret documents stuffed in his drawers, get off with basically a wrist-slap?  And didn't that happen under the Bush Department of Justice? And weren't the current leakmeisters watching the 'tough' Bush DOJ? Did the message not go out?

 

Many will decry Washington's Leaky Gut Syndrome, and even seem to "take action." Results? Watch.  Indictments? Prosecutions? Hangings?  Or just more 'Burglar' bufoonery as Republicans stand by and profess amazement?

 

Just watch.

 

What Beltway actor will not, in fact, resign himself  to "reality"? Who will not, in effect, murmur. "Well, look, we don't like it, but...."

 

You mean Washington, for expediency, will not let the body politic put up with some bloodstream problems, muscle spasms,  a little fibromyalgia, maybe even some Euro- candida and  international fungi?

 

Who do you think is going to say, Shut the gut up? And actually git 'er done?

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Trevor]

Thought provoking post, gringoman. Keep it up.

Punish the leakers, sure. That I can agree with.

On the other hand, I think the debate on issues of national security is healthy and necessary. I don't want to end up in a society that forcibly implants a tracking device in me for my own "safety."

We have to ensure that our system of checks and balances is working, and review that system publicly and periodically.

[Dan Cameron Rodill]

Gotcha, Trevor. But, as previously mentioned, it keeps coming back to Thine Olde Conundrum: How to maintain national security and civil liberties without sacrificing one for the sake of the other? To cite an example: WaPo and/or Sulzberger Times just "outed" yet another classified security measure---the secret monitoring of mosques in U.S., including Wahabbi-funded "holy places," for nuclear material. Rich over-aged brat Sulzberger's friends at the ACLU and muslims can now take the U.S. to court---alleging racial profiling, civil liberties violation or whatever the lib lawyers can drum up---over the U.S. trying to defend its own survival. I have words for this, but in the interests of New Year's cheer, will refrain from using them.

[Trevor]

If the monitoring of mosques was a surprise to anyone it shouldn't have been. That isn't to say that people in Washington aren't acting like immature and poorly raised children, but that shouldn't be a surprise either, because it's nothing new.

I think this is mostly much ado about nothing. We're still winning the war against terrorism. Mostly.

It's interesting that the biggest targets for these terrorists are the democratically inclined population centers in our nation. Terrorists seem to like blowing up their own supporters. That's why they are doomed either way.

If we can minimize how many of us they take with them, that would be a good thing.

[Dan Cameron Rodill]

I can agree that this latest Libstream "outing" of secret surveillance(using sensors for radioactivity at mosques)is much ado about nothing if the surveillance was not really secret. On the other hand, if this monitoring was news to the Sons of Jihad--as it was to most everyone else-- I think it's much ado about something. Hopefully this "something" can't be fitted into a suitcase.