TOP SECRET!, but no big deal.................

Gradually, I manage to calm down. It seems a large number of the powerful and mighty of DC are not too concerned about the absolute mockery that Sandy Berger has made of our government's information classification system. This system is no joke. It recently bit a personal friend of mine, who I'll call Frank, right on the kiester.

I was fortunate enough to be able to offer Frank a temporary GS-9 job that he would be good at doing. I had seen Frank's work before and could vouch for the fact that it was worthy of tax-payer dollars. Also, Frank was at loose ends. He worked part-time for the Government on a variety of projects.

All was cool and Frank was ready to get started, when we found that he had an indescretion on his record dating back to 1995. It seems that he had gone out partying, burned down a bowl of something other than pipe tobacco and got his Secret Clearance revoked by Sam's Army.

As a result of this youthful act of exhuberant stupidity, Frank could not review classified Army paperwork, could not use Government IT systems, could not set foot in the same compound as an experimental military weapon system without a chaparone and got himself fired from a good-paying temporary job 9 years after his last known violation. Pretty Draconian stuff.

When it happened, I felt like utter garbage. I shook my head, accepted the injustice of it and chalked it up to having to live in a post 9-11 world. I figured safe was better than dead from terror and gave Frank his walking papers.

Now, fast-forward to 20 July, 2004. Kerry campaign aide Sandy Berger walks into The National Archives to review highly secretive, Top Secret documents. He decides these documents don't make him or his patrons look like Dudley Do-Right of The Mounties. He precedes to start cramming documents into his, jacket, his socks, his pants and his brief-case. He's like Moe in a demented Three Stooges Episode.

If Watergate was a 3rd rate burglary, this inept pilferage makes J. Gordon Liddy look like one of Ali-Baba's trained thieves. This episode only becomes truely disgusting when viewed against the backdrop of what happens to normal human beings who run afoul of the US Government security rules and regulations.

The Secret and Top Secret clearances become a talisman of reliability to people who want to work in technical fields for the military or for other parts of the US Government. You really are as good as the government perceives your word to be. I'd end up like poor Frank if I pulled a Sandy Berger over at my installation's technical library.

Sandy Berger should be permanently untouchable. He should be an outcaste among governemnt professionals. It makes us all really realize that there are two Americas. It's time for the Inside The Beltway America of Kerry-Deadwards Wonkocrats to start playing by a few of the rules.

I called our local Clear Channel station the night after this story broke and spoke for about 10 minutes describing the procedures used to handle classified information. The following is a basic description of what I said ...

1) A person who wishes to review classified information at a given facility must have his/her clearance on file with the security office that has legal custody of the information.

2) Once they arrive to the facility, they must show their credentials to identify themselves, sign into the facility - maybe issued a badge indicating their clearance and access and escorted to the room where the material will be reviewed.

3) Once in the room, the container (probably a safe i.e. a very heavy duty file cabinet with heavy combination locks with different combinations on each drawer) is opened. This process should be logged by security personnel.

4) The documents are taken from the container. All classified documents are stamped (each page) with items such as a control number, date of creation, level of clearance (top and bottom), program name indicating what access is required and eventual dispensation (i.e. when the material is designated to destruction if applicable).

5) If the documents are classified "top secret", each document has a log on the cover sheet. EACH time a person has access to this information, they must sign and date it.

6) The material is not to be removed (ie stuffed in underwear, socks ... etc) without approval of security personnel. If this takes place, the transfer is documented on both ends of the transaction. If the material is top secret or above, it requires at least two cleared people as an escort.

7) If you travel overnight, the material is not to be kept in your hotel/motel room but instead must be taken to an approved facility. Arrangements are usually made in advance. Security people do not like suprise visits. They like to make them but not receive them.

8) No photocopies are to be made or notes copied without the proper security personnel logging this activity and making appropriate markings (mentioned above) on the documents.

9) This material is frequently audited by internal security agents and is subject to "suprise" audits conducted by military, FBI or other external security personnel.

10) People given access to this type of information are briefed and attend classes on how to handle this material - ie. no excuses for "honest mistakes".

11) As the NSA for the clinton administration, I imagine Berger was personally responsible that this protocol was designed, implemented and enforced by his staff - at least in an appropriately managed administration. This would apply to government employees, officials, military personnel and civilians under contract and extended clearances issued by the DoD, DoE or other intel operations.

12) As such, ANYBODY who has worked in this environment and heard Mr. Berger's comments yesterday about being "sloppy" and "an honest mistake" knows beyond any doubt that he was not only lying, but this was a premeditated act.

13) I left the aerospace business(as an engineer) in 1993 so these comments are based upon the security world of that time. Only Lord knows how the clinton adm changed things during his 8 years.

That summarizes what I mentioned to Steve Cannon of WTVN 610 AM (Columbus, Oh) last night.

The latest word I have heard from this morning is that this material was classified "Code Word Access". Folks, if true, this is "Above Top Secret" ie. John Pollard type material.

So the question comes to mind, why would anybody do such a thing under conditions where he knew he stood a huge chance of being caught? The mission must have been extraordinary for such a risk. The presumption is that he wanted to alter or remove and destroy material that implicated either himself, or quite possibly mr. clinton. The fact that some of the material is "lost" implies that regardless of the consequences, the mission has been accomplished with his current situation collateral damage.

Webb Hubbell's infamous quote "I guess I'll have to roll over again for Hillary" comes to mind. Another example of the clinton whirlwind leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

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