32
senior administration of- ficials” or “anonymous White House sources” so curious. If the O-Team really is intent on letting us “know exactly what decisions are being made” and “how they’re being made” so we can determine whether our “interests are being well-served,” why doesn’t it let the names be used by reporters, writers and producers? We all know why. The
Obama administration’s purveyors of classified in- formation cited almost dai- ly in our media don’t really care about our interests. Their goal is to show us how brave, bold, daring and smart they are — and how careful, competent, engaged and tough our president is. Regrettably, the leaks aren’t just com- ing from political appoin- tees — the ones Obama was talking to Jan. 21, 2009. Now the leakers are in our military and intelli- gence services, as well. A Washington Post col-
umn this week titled “U.S. expands secret intelligence operations in Africa” cites “a senior U.S. military of-
THE WEIRS TIMES & THE COCHECO TIMES, Thursday, June 21, 2012
ficial, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence mat- ters.” All this proves that lead-
ership really does matter. The example set at the top is reflected in the behavior of others all the way down the chain of command. It is OK to disclose legitimate secrets that threaten our national security, put the lives of others in jeopardy, compromise sensitive op- erational capabilities and wreck relations with allies — as long as the O-Team looks good in the leak. Notably, the word “trans-
parent” no longer appears in the president’s prepared speeches. That’s proba- bly because there was no transparency in drafting his Obamacare legislation, new Environmental Protec- tion Agency regulations on drilling for oil, federal loans to green energy companies such as Solyndra or the Department of Homeland Security’s warning about “disgruntled war veterans” being a threat. The public never has been told how the Obama administration decided that the massacre
at Fort Hood was “work- place violence” instead of a radical Islamic terror attack. Nor does the O- Team want to respond to legitimate congressional inquiries about the Justice Department’s infamous “Fast and Furious” gun- running operation. It’s only in the president’s
unscripted remarks that we now find examples of inadvertent transparency. There’s his sotto voce plea to Russian President Dmit- ry Medvedev on ballistic missile defense: “This is my last election. After my elec- tion, I have more flexibil- ity.” Last week, it was his comment that “the private sector is doing fine.” This week, he claimed that “Eu- rope is our No. 1 trading partner” in an attempt to explain America’s econom- ic woes. Let’s hope that he has since learned Europe is fourth, behind Canada, China and Mexico. O-Team sycophants and
fawning members of the Fourth Estate excuse these slip-ups as “minor gaffes.” They’re not. Coupled with the hemorrhage of self- serving leaks, the Obama
administration is shown to be worse than feckless. In less than 144 days,
Americans go to the polls. We are being told by the so- called mainstream media and competing campaign operatives that this year’s presidential election is about which candidate has the best “vision” for “fixing” or “restoring” or “repairing” the U.S. economy. That’s important. But so is our ability to defend ourselves against our adversaries. Those urging us to hire
a new commander in chief in November must address how he could do better at protecting our national security and our people. If they fail to do so, they will show themselves to be as incompetent as the sup- porters of the one they seek to replace.
Oliver North is the host of “War Sto-
ries” on Fox News Channel, the found- er and honorary chairman of Freedom Alliance, and the author of “American Heroes in Special Operations.” To find out more about Oliver North and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Cre- ators Syndicate Web page at www.
creators.com.
BAIRD from 8
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