Focus on the policy, not Wikileaks

http://paul.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1802:focus-
on-the-policy-not-wikileaks&catid=31:texas-straight-talk

Focus on the policy, not Wikileaks
        
We may never know the whole story behind the recent publication of sensitive 
U.S. government documents by the Wikileaks organization, but we certainly can 
draw some important conclusions from the reaction of so many in government 
and media.

At its core, the Wikileaks controversy serves as a diversion from the real 
issue of what our foreign policy should be.  But the mainstream media, along 
with neoconservatives from both political parties, insist on asking the wrong 
question.  When presented with embarrassing disclosures about U.S. spying and 
meddling, the policy that requires so much spying and meddling is not 
questioned.  Instead, the media focus on how so much sensitive information 
could have been leaked, or how authorities might prosecute the publishers of 
such information.

No one questions the status quo or suggests a wholesale rethinking of our 
foreign policy.  No one suggests that the White House or the State Department 
should be embarrassed that the U.S. engages in spying and meddling.  The only 
embarrassment is that it was made public.  This allows ordinary people to 
actually know and talk about what the government does.  But state secrecy is 
anathema to a free society.  Why exactly should Americans be prevented from 
knowing what their government is doing in their name?

In a free society, we are supposed to know the truth.  In a society where 
truth becomes treason, however, we are in big trouble.  The truth is that our 
foreign spying, meddling, and outright military intervention in the post-
World War II era has made us less secure, not more.  And we have lost 
countless lives and spent trillions of dollars for our trouble.  Too 
often "official" government lies have provided justification for endless, 
illegal wars and hundreds of thousands of resulting deaths and casualties.

Take the recent hostilities in Korea as only one example.  More than fifty 
years after the end of the Korean War, American taxpayers continue to spend 
billions for the U.S. military to defend a modern and wealthy South Korea. 
The continued presence of the U.S. military places American lives between the 
two factions.   The U.S. presence only serves to prolong the conflict, 
further drain our empty treasury, and place our military at risk.

The neoconservative ethos, steeped in the teaching of Leo Strauss, cannot 
abide an America where individuals simply pursue their own happy, peaceful, 
prosperous lives.  It cannot abide an America where society centers around 
family, religion, or civic and social institutions rather than an all 
powerful central state.  There is always an enemy to slay, whether communist 
or terrorist.  In the neoconservative vision, a constant state of alarm must 
be fostered among the people to keep them focused on something greater than 
themselves-- namely their great protector, the state.  This is why the 
neoconservative reaction to the Wikileaks revelations is so 
predictable:   “See, we told you the world was a dangerous place,” goes the 
story.  They claim we must prosecute- or even assassinate- those responsible 
for publishing the leaks.  And we must redouble our efforts to police the 
world by spying and meddling better, with no more leaks.

We should view the Wikileaks controversy in the larger context of American 
foreign policy.  Rather than worry about the disclosure of embarrassing 
secrets, we should focus on our delusional foreign policy.  We are kidding 
ourselves when we believe spying, intrigue, and outright military 
intervention can maintain our international status as a superpower while our 
domestic economy crumbles in an orgy of debt and monetary debasement.

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