At 09:20 AM 4/3/01 -0400, you wrote:
>I don't think we should assume too much power and discretion on the part
>of "CIA employees."

You're right.  I shouldn't have suggested otherwise.

>But I
>don't think "blame" for not doing so should be hung on career CIA
>employees.  Nor should their patriotism challenged on this issue which is
>handled far above their pay grades.

The issue of employees' patriotism was raised by DCI Tenet when he asserted
that no Americans are more patriotic than CIA employees.  Could this be
true, I wondered?

I agree that individual employees are not responsible for the policies that
are set by the DCI, the President and Congress.  But all Americans, and
certainly all patriots, are responsible for defending the
Constitution.  And I would say that there is a defect in the patriotism of
those who are engaged in an enterprise that operates outside of the norms
set by the Constitution.

If national security officials do not believe that a "regular statement and
account" of all expenditures should be published "from time to time," the
proper thing to do is to seek a constitutional amendment to that
effect.  Those who ignore the Constitution should not claim to be patriots.


___________________
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
http://www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
Email:  [log in to unmask]