The most fascinating aspect of the revalation of domestic spying and the failure to use FISA is how people / public / media / politicians have reacted to the news. A statement in today’s New York Times is interesting (subscription required), not in his stance but in his choice of words:
"The fact is that Al Qaeda’s playbook is not printed on Page 1, and when America’s is, it has serious ramifications. You don’t need to be Sun Tzu to understand that," he said, referring to the Chinese warrior who wrote "The Art of War."
From past statements and various descriptions of his personality, citing Sun Tzu is, um, un-Bush.
Besides the obvious insertion of words into the President’s mouth, the blatant disregard for the democracy they claim to defend is spotlighted by their vicious responses that were absent in the Plame outing.
I don’t write "claim to defend" without forethought. From profiteering in Iraq, Cheney’s "Energy Task Force", ANWAR, Clear Skies, No Child Left Behind, Social Security Reform (instead of health care cost reform), restructuring Homeland Security instead of providing homeland security, failing to properly, even after four months, and adequately provide support to the US Gulf regions, it is clear the Administration cares more about the Persian Gulf than the US Gulf (and more about Terry Schiavo than New Orleans / Louisana victims of Katrina). The existence of Gitmo, the CIA secret prisons, the transfer of Jose Padilla from military to civilian jurisdiction all indicate a general pattern of recklessness, lack of forethought, and cogent understanding of what this country stands for. AND, let’s not forget about the alleged al-Jazeera Memo (the story has died — for now — but seems it will resurface). Each of the parts by themselves mean little, but this is a case of the whole being greater than the sum.
We need to make our moves above board. There is no reason not as we have the better country, the better moral foundations, and the hearts and minds will not be won by dropping to the level of the enemy. No, AQ does not publicize their playbook on the front page of the NYT, but then neither did the Soviets. Open Source Information is the bane of open and free democracies. It is what oppressed people strive for, crave, and die for. What do surveys from the Middle East (for what surveys there are worth), Europe, and Asia tell us? They like Americans but dislike ("hate" I think is the common word) the American government. What does the American public, the informed American public think of USG? That is the question.
Our courageous military, the best in the world, consistently tells us, the public, they believe they have higher moral values than the public. They are generally more right-leaning than the public, yet they defend John Q Public’s right to burn the flag. They believe in the Geneva Conventions when the Administration believes it is a barrier. They believe in cooperative relationships when the Administrations believes the international community is "illusory". SOCOM strives to build personal relations with people in the field, with individuals. The Administration circles the wagons for singularity (not in Singularity which might even be better in this case… I’m joking, but there might be analogy there). With the Administration stepping off the reservation, is Dunlap’s Coup more realistic? No, I don’t think so, but the failure of this Administration to actually participate in and not jerk around the political system it is the "head" of should be waking people up. I hope it wakes people up.
While I have issues with Thomas P.M. Barnett’s books, both Pentagon’s New Map and Blueprint for Action, I think he is on to the obvious. The problem is, Rummy & Cheney & the President don’t understand it. I mention this because I ran into a contractor who is reading PNM and thought it was very enlightening. I’m glad Thomas has awoken more than the the brass he has consulted with. Too bad the civilian elites aren’t getting it and being enlightened by the realities shown by Posner, Schauer, Barnett, and other writers. Even Moore’s movie 9/11 was enlightening to many, which is itself scary. But this is a fact of life in the sheltered US where the Administration hides the impact of war on the public. You can still drive your Hummer and go to baseball games (see Friedman / NYT 8 Feb 2004) while not being contributed to the Dover Effect.
Who did tell Bush about Sun Tzu? Or did he read it when trying to salvage his oil business? Does he know about Clausewitz? Jomini? Guderian? von Moltke? Doubtful. Does it matter? It shouldn’t, actually (regardless of the 4GW / NCW etc debates). However, when the advisors are as selective in their viewpoints, as determined on their course (the beauty of OSI is the ability to find what Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Feith, Wolfowitz, etc believe and how they’ve navigating with those beliefs over the last decade), and not able to provide solid debate like FDR or Lincoln’s cabinet or even JFK’s (haven’t read Team of Rivals yet, but it is waiting for me on the shelf at home), what type of groupthink have we got and how will new ideas be put forward? That’s what people need to ask…. That’s what the defense over the NSA leak really shows.