Many, many years ago, a much older and wiser reporter let me, the new kid in the press gallery, in on the political-media rule of thumb here in Washington. It’s pretty simple: The rule is, never kick ’em while they are up!

She got that right!

The Kickee of The Month, for now, is the Central Intelligence Agency. Just about everybody is suddenly an expert in clandestine operations. Especially in how they shouldn’t be operated.

Columnists, both regulars and self-anointed blogsters, as well as politicians of both parties are, by the tub-full, pounding the CIA. The same CIA they once pounded for not being tough enough. For failing to connect-the-dots. That needed to shake the intelligence tree harder. Play a little hardball. Same agency. Different time.

President Obama — who has seen more daily world threat assessments than most of us — is being criticized for not coming down harder on the CIA. Although he has denounced torture as un-American, that isn’t enough for some people. Maybe he knows something, as POTUS, we don’t. Meantime…

Morale at the agency must be lower than whale droppings.

What’s interesting is that so many of the critics were, until very recently, card-carrying members of the CTDC (connect-the-dots-club). A dozen years ago they were beating the CIA for not being aggressive enough. For failing to connect the dots which, if done properly, they said, would have stopped the 9/11 attacks before they started.

Some politicians and media types, who couldn’t distinguish a U.S. Marine from a UPS driver, are now after-the-fact experts in military operations, covert operations, interrogations, etc. Not long ago, they were demanding boots-on-the-ground (but just not their boots, or their kids). Some were advocating invading Syria (or attacking Iran) so we would get out of Afghanistan. So we could, maybe, go back to Iraq.

Some of the laptop bombardiers, who are horrified by waterboarding and sleep deprivation, are the leading cheerleaders for drone attacks. Never mind the sometimes regrettable ‘collateral’ damage. War is war, except when it isn’t! Some are still anxious to put more U.S. troops into danger zones, although for many, their closest brush with danger has been a bad marriage. Or getting lost in a “bad” part of town.

Like lots of people who’ve been a long time in Washington, I’ve met my share of CIA people. They look just like people we see in the supermarket (especially if you live in the Langley, Virginia, area). But a lot of them are different. Some bad eggs, to be sure. But for the most part, typically very smart, very dedicated. Frequently, very worried.

Meantime, we should resume our quest to connect-the-dots. Waterboarding and sleep deprivation are truly awful and shouldn’t be considered necessary. They are inhumane and, from a practical standpoint, often useless as “tools” of getting information. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) knows something about torture.

On the other hand, having your head sawed off, on camera, after months of captivity and probably torture, is also pretty awful. Oh, but that wasn’t the CIA, was it?

Maybe the Senate should broaden its inquiry into torture.

NEARLY USELESS FACTOID:

By Ginger Whitaker
Last month, the CIA celebrated the 55th anniversary of President Eisenhower’s laying of the cornerstone of its main building.

Source: WTOP

MORE FROM FEDERAL NEWS RADIO:

Senate approves $1.1 trillion federal spending bill
A $1.1 trillion spending bill is on its way to President Barack Obama for his signature. The Senate voted 56-40 on Saturday for the bill, which funds most agencies through September.

Senate OKs defense policy bill
Congress on Friday sent President Barack Obama a massive defense policy bill that endorses his stepped-up military campaign of air strikes and training of Iraqis and moderate Syrian rebels in the war against Islamic State militants. The Senate overwhelmingly approved the bill that authorizes funds for basic military operations, including construction of new ships, aircraft, and weapons as well as a 1 percent pay raise for the troops.

Congress passes bill to auto-enroll new feds in TSP’s Lifecycle Funds
Congress has passed a bill that will automatically enroll new federal employees in the Thrift Savings Plan’s Lifecycle Funds (L Funds), rather than the Government Securities Investment Fund (G Fund). The Smart Savings Act, introduced by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R- Calif.), was passed by the Senate Dec. 10, 2014.

Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.