Senators and Security Clearances

Ace posted a question from a reader in the sidebar, asking why a terrorist associating, community organizer could obtain a security clearance when most people who hang out with Weather Underground bombers would be denied.

The answer is that for Members of Congress (both House Members and Senators) security clearance vests simply by virtue of their having been elected.

That's it. You organize enough anti-American, bomb-planting, coke snorting, misogynistic, MSNBC watching, kos-diarists to vote your sorry community organizing ass into office in a one-party gerrymandered district, and you too can have access to all the nation's secrets!

Hurray???

Anyway, the rules are actually different for Congressional staffers. Ironically, Community Organizer Barack Obama would probably NOT qualify for a security clearance BASED ON THE CHOICES HE MADE THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE if he were a lowly STAFFER.

His history of drug use would disqualify him. His association with domestic terrorists would disqualify him. Hell, even the community organizer's much discussed "difficulty" in paying back his student loans could conceivably justify denying a security clearance if they were so onerous as to constitute a severe financial hardship.

This merits of this "two-tiered" system are debatable. Obviously, some of Congress' chief functions include oversight hearings and the review of judicial and executive branch appointments. Often, classified documents are reviewed by those with the appropriate clearances in the routine course of fulfilling these responsibilities. Having some Community Organizers receive info while other Community Organizers did not would could hamper these responsibilities.

Then again, I doubt that when these rules were first developed anyone thought a terrorist-simp Community Organizer who belonged to a racist "nationalist" church and had a history of drug binges and taking on more debt than he could manage would ever have access to these documents anyway.

All of which skirts the really important issue though:

Apparently, a Congressman or a Staffer can STILL get a security clearance if a daughter becomes pregnant and decides to keep the baby.

Otherwise, there is no telling what sort of threat to the Republic might one day be made privy to our nation's deepest secrets. I know this risk must be very severe too: I hear Keith Olbermann is planning a special commentary about this very loophole! Have you Sirs who, Sir, vet security clearances, Sir, have no shame, Sir?

Anyway. Reader question asked. Reader question answered. With integrity. And conscious.

Just like Mr. Paul Anka, who as far as I know has never been a community organizer, would want it.

posted by Jack M. at 02:50 PM

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