Abstract

'Embedded Patriots'

The article looks at the role of journalism in exposing the government in the United States as of July 2004. A potent guerrilla insurgency has formed in and around United States President George W. Bush--a revolt of old pros in government who strike from the shadows with devastating effect. They tell the truth. They explode big lies. They provide documentary evidence that undermines popular confidence in the Commander in Chief. They prod the media and the political community to ask penetrating questions of the Bush regime. A series of explosive leaks--closely held documents and well-informed tips--have altered the course of politics and might very well influence the outcome of this year's presidential election. My own surmise--corroborated in conversations with several long-experienced Washington reporters--is that we are probably talking about career military officers and senior civil servants at the Pentagon, Justice Department lawyers and professionals at the Central Intelligence Agency or State Department. While Bush tries to explain away prisoner abuse in Iraq with the "few bad apples" argument, the White House, Pentagon and Justice Department memos justifying torture establish an official predicate for scandalous government actions that are more than embarrassing.