Not a Game Anymore

April 23, 2006

The firing of Mary O. McCarthy by the CIA over her alleged leak of information about a secret prison system in Europe for terrorist suspects should be yet another example as to how badly this administration has gone wrong. This is a woman who ought to be lauded for doing the right thing, and doing so at the peril of her own career. We need more people like her in the upper reaches of large bureaucracies such as the CIA, State Department, and DOD.. but in the future there will surely be even more reticence about speaking out on government abuses.

When news of these secret prisons came out in December 2005, the president came out swinging: "My personal opinion is it was a shameful act for someone to disclose this very important program in a time of war. The fact that we're discussing this program is helping the enemy" (New York Times, Dec. 31, 2005). But how exactly does this information help the enemy? I don't think any al-Qaeda operative is really under the illusion that the US is not actively seeking them, and knowing that there are prisons in Europe to supplement Guantanamo does not seem strategically important from their point of view. If this fact gave any comfort to the enemy, it was the comfort that in yet another instance the United States has shown itself willing to compromise on its core principles of democratic transparency and human rights.

The presentation of politics in the media encourages us to see things in terms of two legitimate perspectives. If CNN interviews someone against Bush's policies, then they are sure to show someone else arguing in favor of them. While there are legitimate differences between the approach to social and economic policies favored by liberals and conservatives, the policies of this administration long ago moved past the pale of reasoned difference. Nevertheless, for many media commentators it remains a game, to be played out with the usual array of battling talking heads. This dismissal of Mary McCarthy.. and possible criminal charges.. should be yet another call to see this as more than a political game..