So much for democracy [Barone Nails Risen On The NSA Program]

US News ^ | Jan. 9, 2006 | Michael Barone

[conservativecorner]

Here's James Risen, the New York Times reporter who coauthored the paper's December 16 story on NSA surveillance of foreign terrorists, flogging his new book on the Today show. He presents an interesting theory of governance.

Risen: Well, I–I think that during a period from about 2000–from 9/11 through the beginning of the gulf–the war in Iraq, I think what happened was you–we–the checks and balances that normally keep American foreign policy and national security policy towards the center kind of broke down. And you had more of a radicalization of American foreign policy in which the–the–the career professionals were not really given a chance to kind of forge a consensus within the administration. And so you had the–the–the principles–Rumsfeld, Cheney and Tenet and Rice and many others–who were meeting constantly, setting policy and really never allowed the people who understand–the experts who understand the region to have much of a say.

Couric: You suggest there was a lot of power grabbing going on.

So, "the career professionals were not really given a chance to kind of forge a consensus within the administration." Evidently, such consensus-building is how government is supposed to operate. Instead, you had folks like "the principles [sic, presumably transcriber's mistake]—Rumsfeld, Cheney and Tenet and Rice and many others—who were meeting constantly, settling policy, and really never allowed the people who understand—the experts who understand the region to have much of a say."

What a scandal! Presidential appointees like Donald Rumsfeld, George Tenet, and Condoleezza Rice and an elected official like Dick Cheney were meeting together! How dare they? And they were settling policy! Astonishing! What will such people dare to do next?

Risen makes it quite clear how he thinks the government should be run. Elected officials like the president and vice president and top presidential appointees should sit quietly in their chairs. They should not meet, at least not very often. They should wait for career government employees—"the experts who understand the region"—to "forge a consensus." Policy should always be kept "toward the center," regardless of what the American people or their elected president think.

So that is the New York Times's idea, or at least this New York Times reporter's idea, of how democratic representative government should work. Unelected bureaucrats should rule. If the policies produced by their understanding of the region should produce September 11, they should still rule. Elected officials' jobs are to sit in their chairs, to meet infrequently if at all, and to accept the decisions of the unelected and for the most part unremovable bureaucrats.

At least so long as those bureaucrats' policy ideas are considered suitable by James Risen or the New York Times. One suspects that Risen's theory of government would shift completely if the bureaucrats opposed the policies he liked and the elected officials and their top appointees favored them. Then Risen might favor democratic government. But not now, not while George W. Bush is in office. James Risen: for democracy, but only if elections come out his way.

[Rummyfan]

James Risen: for democracy, but only if elections come out his way.

In that, he is exactly the same as all the libs and lefties.

[MEG33]

Barone BUMP! Risen just said the same thing on CSpan..

[Nasty McPhilthy]

"So that is the New York Times's idea, or at least this New York Times reporter's idea, of how democratic representative government should work. Unelected bureaucrats should rule. If the policies produced by their understanding of the region should produce September 11, they should still rule. Elected officials' jobs are to sit in their chairs, to meet infrequently if at all, and to accept the decisions of the unelected and for the most part unremovable bureaucrats."




But, of course!

[johnny7]

I notice that the Democrats and their pimps in the MSM like to think that the State Department, the CIA/NSA and the Supreme Court are elected by the people to do their bidding. Furthermore, that it is an impeachable offense if any president and his administration gets in their way.

[marvlus]

Risen has risen to an unprecedented level of ....(fill in the blanks).

[sayfer bullets]

reference bump

Barone rarely disappoints.

[SW6906]

Nails it!

[Jazzman1]

yes they're VERY predicatable about this. They'll scream & holler @ their 1st AMendment rights, BUT when a viewpoint is expressed OPPOSITE of theirs they'll scream it down and censor it. The mindset of the LIBERAL is very juvenile!

[OldYank1]

Is there a possibility that he will be brought up on charges of treason or any other charge for that matter? How can he be allowed to appear on TV and make these statements?

[Doogle]

Risen makes it quite clear how he thinks the government should be run. Elected officials like the president and vice president and top presidential appointees should sit quietly in their chairs. They should not meet, at least not very often. They should wait for career government employees—"the experts who understand the region"—to "forge a consensus." Policy should always be kept "toward the center," regardless of what the American people or their elected president think.

..exactly, thats why Tenet and clintoon only met twice face to face during a very ominous time in our history. Then when attacked, sit there dumb founded, ask stupid questions, wring your wrist, then when your realize people are connecting dots to your complete idiotic policies, get the MSM to try to cover up your failure to protect the American people. Get Congress to have a commission to further cover up your ability to uphold your sworn duty, to protect the American people both home and abroad. A very convenient way, since the US Congress does nothing and almost daily breaks their own sworn duty.

Doogle

[timydnuc]

This is a huge "blow back" for the left and they are starting to realize it. Notice the pull back by the propaganda machine. The American people understand it and, thanks to the Internet, they can get the truth on the matter. This is a desperate, and illegal, attempt by the left to make things right (in their eyes). They degrade their trust from the People exponentially. As it happens, they can think of nothing else but themselves....typical of elitists.

[sportutegrl]

The "Career Professionals" kept the FBI from looking in Mossaui's (sp?) briefcase.

[airedale]

Yes and he personally profited from the damaging of US security. At work he he got a bunch of at-a-boys both within the times and from other like minded journalists. Then there is the book which he profits from. In fact the story that came out was the paper was finally forced to publish the stories because they were in his book and they'd be scooped by their own reporter. Risen published this material knowing full well that it would be read by our enemies and that his fellow journalists would dig for more tidbits to in effect feed Americas enemies.

Of course he claims that he and his leaker's only have the purest motives so let him prove it by donating all the proceeds from the book and any bonus he receives from the NY Times as a result of his stories and all public speaking fees earned because of his involvement in publishing these leaks to the families of wounded or killed members of the military and CIA.