Hear No Evil. See No Evil… 2

I won’t delve into the details of the growing scandal at the U. S. Central Command.  Others can do that better than I.  But it suffices to say intelligence analysts were pressured not to be so serious in their assessments of ISIS.

Yes, given the events of recent weeks and months, this is no trivial scandal.

And, of course, the question immediately arises: how responsible is Obama for this?  I consider it doubtful he was directly responsible.  But indirectly responsible?  Oh, yes.

I have already noted last week that Obama is not interested in intelligence on terrorism that does not fit his rosy world view.  (And sometimes my timing on posts is amazing if I say so myself.  And I do.)  It is a well known phenomenon that if an executive treats with disdain unpleasant information and those who provide it to him, then those under him will be all the more reluctant to provide him with unpleasant information, no matter how needful it may be.

Whether by intent or by the withering pressure of group think and of trying to avoid displeasing one’s superiors, Obama’s Hear No Evil, See No Evil attitude has resulted in Speak No Evil beneath him in our military intelligence.

And that, in turn, has helped enable ISIS.