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The New Politics of Intelligence |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
9:20 pm EDT, Apr 24, 2004 |
All the attention on intelligence issues creates both an opportunity and a danger. The opportunity stems from the consensus that major reforms are necessary. The danger stems from the gap between the urge to do something and the uncertainty about just what that something should be. Political points are scored by painting issues in broad swaths of black and white, but the real choices in this area are inevitably found among shades of gray, and ill-considered reforms could do more harm than good. At the end of the day, the strongest defense against intelligence mistakes will come less from any structural or procedural tweak than from the good sense, good character, and good mental habits of senior officials. How to assure a steady supply of those, unfortunately, has never been clear. Today's overlapping inquiries leave intelligence professionals squeezed uncomfortably in the middle. With luck this political dynamic will wane before it can do much damage, but there is no way that it can be good for the intelligence professionals being buffeted in the search for accountability. All the talk of reform will lead nowhere unless it is translated into changes of structure and process. Unfortunately, however, non-experts find the details of such matters arcane or eye-glazing, while experts often disagree about what should be done. The typical problem at the highest levels of government is less often misuse of intelligence than non-use. The best chief of intelligence is one who has the personal confidence and trust of the president, but who delights in telling the inner circle what it does not want to hear. This relationship can be sustained, of course, only if the president likes to have his thinking challenged and his job complicated -- something more common among intellectuals than among politicians. The New Politics of Intelligence |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
9:53 am EDT, Apr 20, 2004 |
Citations to names of individuals and groups involving:
o assassinations, organized crime, and scandals
o Wall Street and transnational corporations
o foreign policy and media establishments
o political elites from the Right and Left
o Cold War history and intelligence The index in the back of a book is covered by the copyright on the book. Even if it was technically feasible to scan the index, it would most likely be considered illegal. This is unfortunate. This is mostly due to the nature of book publishing, which evolved over many decades, and won't adapt to a digital age unless there is obvious money to be made. It's also due to our monoculture. NameBase |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
9:50 am EDT, Apr 20, 2004 |
Right Web explores the many ties that link the right-wing movement's main players, organizations, corporate supporters, educational institutions, and government representatives to each other in a new architecture of power. Right Web represents a revival of a former program called GroupWatch that profiled more than 125 private, quasi-governmental, and religious organizations which were closely associated with the implementation of US foreign policy, especially in Central America. Right Web, however, adds a new dimension to this earlier endeavor: It shines a spotlight on not just organizations, but on the dozens and dozens of individuals who develop the ideas, promote the policies, and provide the cash needed to make the right-wing the most powerful force in America today. I have no comment about the politics of the material here, but I find the concept worth noting. The medium is the message. Right Web |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
2:28 am EST, Mar 24, 2004 |
William Safire wrote:
The only thing this time-wasting pest Newdow has going for him is that he's right. Decius wrote:
Yes indeed folks, you heard right, its circus time again! Get ready for pseudo-intellectual arguments from angry leftists who have no consideration for how people feel. Get ready for idiotic chest pounding from right wing zealots who don't see why a pesky thing like the establishment clause should prevent them from establishing a religion they see as already established. The Supreme Court needs MemeStreams. Or at least a better collaborative filter. When it comes to Constitutional questions waiting for the Court's consideration, does this one really rise to the top of the list? What recourse do we have? Of God and the Flag |
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Spain Grapples With Notion That Terrorism Trumped Democracy |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
9:41 am EST, Mar 17, 2004 |
In the aftermath of its national election, Spain, along with the rest of the world, is struggling to answer a harrowing question: who really won on Sunday, the Socialists or the terrorists? The main television channel TVE, which is state-owned, suddenly changed its regular programming to air a documentary on the horrors of ETA. "The editor said we don't want that, don't pay attention." The major Spanish media outlets played a significant role in the election. This article makes no mention of the Internet. I would be interested in an analysis of the Internet's impact on the recent election in Spain. Spain Grapples With Notion That Terrorism Trumped Democracy |
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The Politics of Self-Pity |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
12:39 pm EST, Mar 14, 2004 |
It's as if his inner fat boy is complaining that a classic triple cheeseburger from Wendy's jumped out of its wrapper and forced its way down his unwilling throat, topped off by a pushy Frosty. Mmm, Frosty. Are you letting your inner fat boy tell you what to do? (As opposed to your inner frat boy.) The Politics of Self-Pity |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
2:40 pm EST, Mar 6, 2004 |
Here in the land of middle-class self-loathing, we want to make sure that the guy we elect to the White House has lived a life nothing like our own. It's a tremendous advantage to have been instilled with the habit of self-assertion since infancy. If you can project a physiological comfort with power, others around you will begin to accept your sense of self-worth. There aren't too many normal people waking up in normal suburban split-levels assuming they should rule the world. But God bless the upper class. They've lost their legitimacy, but they haven't lost their self-confidence. Clash of Titans |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
5:11 pm EST, Feb 29, 2004 |
To amend section 1464 of title 18, United States Code,
to provide for the punishment of certain profane broadcasts,
and for other purposes. Once passed, would it be legal to read this law aloud on C-SPAN? H.R. 3687 |
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What Ever Happened to Being a 'Uniter, not a Divider'? |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
8:52 am EST, Feb 25, 2004 |
I was just wondering. And has anyone seen my little puppy? His name is Compassion, and I can't find him anywhere. I'm afraid he may have been put to sleep, but it's also possible he's being detained as an unlawful combatant. There's really no telling; perhaps I'll never know. Regardless, the grave and gathering danger of unleashed Compassion has been contained. For the moment, anyway. Put in perspective, this is all for the best, because Compassion felt really out of place in a post-9/11 world. Back in 2000, he was a real v^hgo-getter, but has since become a dog that just couldn't hunt. I'm thinking a Collie is what I need now ... |
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An Insolent Puppet Roils Canadian Politics |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
11:37 am EST, Feb 16, 2004 |
Conan O'Brien came to Toronto last week, and he nearly started a civil war. Just kidding, sort of. The puppet, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog: "I can tell you're French, you know. You have that proud expression, that superior look." Of a rather plump man, he asked: "Are you a separatist? Maybe you should try separating yourself from doughnuts first." Canada is in the midst of the biggest political scandal in more than a generation, but the foul-mouthed puppet was still front-page news and heavily covered on national television. An Insolent Puppet Roils Canadian Politics |
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