Path to oligarchy: Pres. Bush’s not-so-stealth campaign to turn the United States into a giant banana republic is happening on so many fronts, and so quickly, that it is hard to keep up. Over the past few years, he has appointed (and the Senate has confirmed) military officers rather than civilians to head the nation’s intelligence agencies:
The expected confirmation of retired Navy Adm. Mike McConnell as director of national intelligence will complete the Pentagon’s takeover of the intelligence community and end any pretense of civilian influence, let alone control, of the community. Flag officers are now in control of the Central Intelligence Agency [Gen. Michael V. Hayden] and the National Counterterrorism Center [Vice Admiral (VADM) Scott Redd] as well as the key position of undersecretary of defense for intelligence [Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper Jr].
This is another area in which the Republican-controlled Senate of the 109th Congress failed to provide a check on Pres. Bush’s reckless disregard for the institutions of our democracy.Now the Democratic-controlled Senate has an opportunity to take corrective action:
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Armed Forces Committee must agree to abolish or at least weaken the position of undersecretary of defense for intelligence, which was created by former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to solidify the Pentagon’s control over the intelligence community. The Pentagon played a major role in the politicization of intelligence that was used to justify the war against Iraq.
Using the military to fight a civilian force like al Qaeda is like using a chainsaw to perform an appendectomy. The military is tied to its contractors who need multimillion dollar contracts to satisfy their shareholders. Spending billions on giant weapons programs will not stop a single terrorist attack.
To paraphrase Henry II, speaking of Thomas A Becket, “Will nobody rid us of this meddlesome man?”