Krugman on the CIA purge (from a few weeks ago, PK is on vaykay)

Paul Krugman: A culture of cover-ups

Paul Krugman The New York Times

Wednesday, October 27, 2004
PRINCETON, New Jersey Aides to Senator John Kerry say that if he wins the U.S. presidential election, he'll replace Porter Goss as head of the CIA. Let's hope so: Goss has already confirmed the fears of those who worried about his appointment, by placing Republican staff members from Capitol Hill in key positions and raising fears about a partisan purge.

But the flap over Goss is only a symptom of a much broader issue: whether the Bush administration will be able to maintain its culture of cover-ups. That culture affects every branch of policy, but it's strongest when it comes to the "war on terror."

Although President George W. Bush's campaign is based almost entirely on his self-proclaimed leadership in that war, his officials have thrown a shroud of secrecy over any information that might let voters assess his performance.

More: http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/10/26/opinion/edkrug.html

The loyalty fetish, the enemies lists, the emotional insecurity,
the purges, all of it.