The coming reform of intell: everybody hold your breath!
Monday, July 12, 2004 at 5:29AM ìDespite Terror Risk, Washington Is Unlikely to Press Reform of C.I.A. This Year: Congressional reports see a need to alter a culture and a ëgroup thinkí dynamic,î by David E. Singer, NYT, 11 July, p. A10.
Letís see: canít do anything this year because itís a political year. So wait until deep into 2005 and . . . finally create that intell czar everyone has been dreaming of.
Yes, yes, that will kill the intelligence communityís tendency for group think: an all-powerful and all-singular czar up on top. Yep, thatíll do it.
Groupthink is caused primarily by secrecy and distance from the real world. Bring the CIA out of its classified cocoon and youíll end the groupthink. Iím not talking the clandestine agents, but the analysts. Thatís the problem-set weíre really talking about here.
But donít hold your breath on that one. All good intell weanies know that itís the secrecy that keeps us safeólike it did in the months leading up to 9/11.
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