Old Peggy Noonan Is Alarmed at this New Phenomenon, 'Leaks'
Doddering Reaganite Peggy Noonan has become the conservative version of Richard Cohen: a doddering old columnist employed by a respected journalistic institution who uses their column space to demand less journalism and more government secrecy. Have you heard of these so-called "leaks," from our leaders? The United States government is not a house of plumbing, sir. Sir? Sir.
What is happening with all these breaches of our national security? Why are intelligence professionals talking so much-divulging secret and sensitive information for all the world to see, and for our adversaries to contemplate?
Why isn't anyone doing anything about all the problems? wonders professional newspaperperson Peggy Noonan. {She goes on to summarize a bunch of New York Times articles and information from David Sanger's book that tells about classified things the U.S. government is doing. Classified. Peggy Noonan, why are you reprinting these things in the pages of the Wall Street Journal, where any terrorist can "download" them, and use them to kill our freedoms? Why does Peggy Noonan deplore our brave troops, and their safety? We are REDACTING these once-classified disclosures, which make up the bulk of Peggy Noonan's leak-deploring column today.)
It's a good thing our enemies can't read. Wait, they can! They can download all this onto their iPads at a café in Islamabad.
Oh Christ, it's worse than I thought. They're at a cafe.
What are they thinking? That in the age of Wikileaks the White House itself should be one big Wikileak?
"Somebody should get on the stick and start using all those high-powered electronic microscopes to cure cancer, that's what I think," declares professional newspaperperson Peggy Noonan.
Why is this happening? In part because at our highest level in politics, government and journalism, Americans continue to act as if we are talking only to ourselves. There is something narcissistic in this: Only our dialogue counts, no one else is listening, and what can they do about it if they are? There is something childish in it: Knowing secrets is cool, and telling them is cooler.
Amazing insight into the human psyche and the secret machinations of the corridors of power from former White House insider and current famous columnist Peggy Noonan. "They put a baboon heart in a human, you know. They can make body parts out of plastic and put little camera probes in your body. Then why are there so many people dying?" wonders professional newspaperperson Peggy Noonan.
Then she dodders off. To where? That's a secret.