The game of “spot-the-spook,” or researching the background of individuals to detect infiltration by intelligence agencies, is one of the most basic and common security measures carried out by political groups, security forces, etc.

It takes some training and knowledge to do so, but once you have learned how intelligence agencies function, and what kind of biographies their personnel tend to have, you can “spot the spook” with a fair degree of accuracy. If this were not the case, Security Directors all over the world would be out of a job.

The question at the outset is not “Is this person a spook,” but rather “which of these 10 people is a spook.” You then examine their backgrounds and come to a conclusion. It is the business of intelligence agencies to infiltrate their people into the leadership of political formations. The question is not “Are they doing this” but rather “Where are they doing this.”

That said, let’s look at Obama’s background to try and figure out whether he is one of the CIA’s agents in the domestic political arena:

Obama’s mother was a CIA officer.

Obama was one of 8 students selected to study sovietology in Columbia’s IR program under Brzezinski, one of the CIA’s top-ranking officers. “Sovietology” is CIA training.

Obama went to work for a CIA front, Business International Corporation (one of whose specialties was recruiting leaders of domestic left-wing organizations as CIA assets).

Obama ran for state office and his opponent quit the race before the election.

Obama ran for US Senate, and his opponent quit the race before the election.

Obama ran for Pres., and his foreign policy chief was, who else, one of the CIA’s top officers, Brzezinski.

Obama’s communications director, Ted Sorenson, was nominated for Director of Central Intelligence.

BDS was at its most apoplectic levels on the left when Bush was re-elected. If anything, BDS helped Bush. Lefties loved ‘Fahrenheit 911′ but it actually helped Bush — most Americans just don’t like the stereotype they think Michael Moore represents — scraggly bearded communist hippie burnout/traitor with fleas who thinks he’s smarter than you are. I don’t think you can lay that sub-Nixonian approval rating on BDS.

Frankly, I’m furious at Americans who supported the war in 2003, voted for Bush in 2004 after we knew there were no WMDs, but now blame Bush for the war they demanded. Only when it hit us in our pocketbocks and U.S. casualties mounted did they object to the war. Repubs should have nominated McCain in 2000. The country should have dumped Bush in 2004.

You can’t measure the Iraq blunder in casualties. The comparison to FDR’s blunders doesn’t fly. Of course, Pat Buchanan says FDR blundered into war with Japan. I think FDR wanted hegemony and was willing to pay the price of war to get it. Under Bush, America has lost hegemony. Speaking as a liberal nationalist, his name should not be mentioned in the same breath with FDR.

I’m probably one of the few liberals who ever had anything good to say about John Ashcroft. In 2004, I was blogging that Ashcroft was the only competent member of Bush’s administration, and I say that as a full-on Constitutional groupie.

And yes, I do fear for my life as a New Yorker now that Obama is president.

Look also for Obama to also unload as much of the economic and administrative responsibilities for Iraq as possible. He can wave a huge carrot by ending the no-bid contracts and offering them up to the international community. Obama understands that a 12 billion a month commitment to Iraq is unsustainable especially in the present economic situation.

And even if the occupation of Iraq were economically sustainable it is not militarily sustainable. The military is fraying from the Operational Tempo required by the Iraq and Afghanistan commitments. The military needs to get out of Iraq before we have a repeat of the collapse of good order and discipline that happened in Vietnam.

Thus there are at least three separate reasons for the U.S. to end the Iraq occupation, the Iraqis want us gone, the U.S. military wants us gone, and we can’t afford to stay there much longer.

With the U.S. out of Iraq Obama can then turn to our NATO allies to re-target Afghanistan. The only real question here is if he can get the troops needed into that area before the mission collapses from Bushite incompetence. Karzi is barely the mayor of Kabul and his government is inept, incompetent and grossly corrupt. The Taliban is back bigger than life and twice as ugly. Central control, something of an oxymoron in the history of Afghanistan, is a non-existent. Oddly enough though all is not lost; we are not totally without allies. No we are not talking about NATO or the U.K. we are talking about Iran. Iran hates Al Qaeda even more than we do. Look for Obama to make a play for Iran and for Iran to do an “enemy of my enemy” deal.

As for the myth of America being center-right; yup it is a myth. America right now is center-center with only a tiny lean left. Look at the policies, Universal Health care, Pro-Union, etc, etc. Even Prop 8 is a whole lot less than it seems. Prop 8 won with a ton of money from the Mormon church. Even then it cleared with only five percentage points after a media blitz that raise fear-mongering to a new level. Larry you were not subjected to those pro 8 ads; vile does not begin to describe them. They were sleazy and they lied without shame. More to the point the last time California voted on the issue, the results were a blow out the win being more than 60%. So even after scaring the voters senseless and flooding the airways with hate the right still lost ground in California.

And something else happened with prop 8. It is only in its formative stages right now but it will grow. There is going to be a huge blow-back from the LBGTQ community. The Mormon church is already feeling it. Any complacency in the LBGTQ community is now a thing of the past. They are pissed and they are going to organize and push-back like no ones business. They are going to engage both the A-A and Latino/a community in a way never seen before. They are also going to engage the larger body politic in a way never seen before either. Prop 8 is not the end of the matter. It may become a Pyrrhic victory for the right.

I can understand why you may not have cried when Obama won the election, or maybe you cried for other reasons. Is the breathless praise a tad over done? Perhaps but then again one can not escape the symbolism. We elected a mix race man with a oddball name for president. This matters Larry; symbols matter. The face of the president-elect says something to the world and to our nation. Beside as a person who has been both passionately Pro-Hillary and then passionately Anti-Obama you ,Larry, have little room to complain about other peoples over-the-top emotions. Glass houses and stones Larry; glass houses and stones.

It is a little too early to really know whether Obama will be center-right or center-left or just center. Obama will most likely govern as a compromiser and a pragmatist. The silliness about Obama being a secret black nationalist or a secret Marxist or secret Socialist or whatever was never believable. Same goes for Obama being a machine politician from Chicago. Obama is very deliberate, very celebrial man. He will listen to Republicans, he will listen to DLC Democrats and he will listen to the left / progressives; then he will make up his own mind. The man has offered up an olive branch to Joe Lieberman for heavens sake. He might be a lot more serious about being post-partisan, non-partisan, and non-ideological than any of us realize. Again think Center-Center and pragmatic.

What will disappoint most of the people at N.Q. is finding out where the center of the nation is. Eight years of Bush / Cheney misrule has soured the nation on Conservative notions. The Center of the nation is a lot further to the “left” than most of the Beltway pundits realize. When the right screamed “Socialist” about Obama, most people either ignored the claim or worse thought ” well if that is Socialism then I want me some of that.” Some years back Limbaugh declared “Roosevelt is dead!” Well thanks to George W. Bush Regan and his revolution are now also dead. A slim majority of Americans want government in their lives- 51%. As this recession plays out that number will only go up. It’s hard to be a rugged individualist when your job is gone and your house is in foreclosure. As private and local resources fail to respond to the present economic downturn all eyes will look to Washington. There will be little patience or support for politicians claiming that the market alone will solve the present situation.

If this really was a Center-Right nation Larry McCain would have won. Instead Democrats won the presidency, won at least seven Senate seats, won twenty house seats and cleaned house in New England. The Republican party has now has had two elections where they had their clock cleaned. That has only happened once before- in the days of Herbert Hoover. The Republican brand and Conservatism itself are in deep kimchi Larry, homophobia only goes so far, you have to have something more to hang your hat on. The old social issues just do not have the same punch as they used to. Just ask former senator Dole. Just ask John McCain, every time he went negative he lost votes while Obama stayed rock steady. But hey if you want to make the Republican loosing streak become three in a row in 2010, just stick with that center-right nonsense. Go ahead and step on that rake one more time.

One of the reasons I didn’t vote for 0bama is because I know the rabid Bush lovers are going to use this inexperienced guy to rewrite the Bush administration’s history.

Sometimes I think it was a conspiracy masterminded by Rove so that 0bama will be so bad as to make Bush look good.

Ain’t gonna happen with me.

I knew 0bama wasn’t up to the job. I knew that about Bush, also.

What baffles me is how so many Americans could make the same mistake again.

I would imagine he was a threat, in that he told the truth, but was anything larger looming?

Was Colin Powell involved, too?

Bush/Cheney were a disaster!

I don’t call feeling safe when an illegal war has created thousands of terrorists when before there were none.

Where were you on Sept 11th?

I was a mile away. I know a little bit about fear and wanting to be safe.

Bush and his policies have created a climate where people now believe that the danger of being attacked inside the US is minimal.

I can’t believe there are still numnuts who believe that the Iraq War has made us safe.

Oh please! That’s delusional.

Bush squandered our resources in the wrong place.

Even if there’s an attack here within months after 0bama takes office, I will still blame Bush.

Is that clear enough for you?

————
We’re here despite Cheney and Bush, and their attempts to deconstruct the Constitution, because the Republicans APPEAR to be compliant in ONE electoral instance doesn’t indicate they are somehow superior to the democrats — that’s what I took from your comment.

Both parties have been horrifically contemptuous of the Constitution, Republicans advocating for torture, denying rights to those who may be innocently imprisoned in GITMO, FISA, the 4th amendment, et al.

And the democrats were complicit.

And I can only imagine what has gone on at the NSA.

Respectful of the Constitution is the last thing I think of when I think Republican, lol.

Same for the Democrats.

I stand by my statement, it’s best not to forget what happened here, the republicans are NOT heroic.

So, we will have to agree to disagree.

Try to follow the conversation.

When I said the Repubs are disciplined and that they put their faith in the US Constitution, I am talking about their ability to sit out this election and wait their turn.

There was a lot of hysteria around here over 0bama being dangerous, a threat to National Security, a socialist and maybe even a weapon to bring the country down.

Do you really think if there was even one shred of hard evidence that any of the above were true and could be proven that 10 million Republicans would have stayed home? Or that insulted Hillary voters wouldn’t have crossed over and voted McCain if any of the stuff spouted here was backed up with something solid?

The people who stayed home have faith that the Checks & Balances, which have worked since the beginning will hold up. And yes, even in W’s administration it held up.

We’re all here. Bush did not call Marshall Law as it was rumored to stop the election. The process has gone like clockwork.

So let’s watch and see how many of the Executive Orders 0bama gives back.

Then we can have a conversation.

In the meantime, fuck off!

You should retire.

I voted for McCain. WTF are you talking about?

Bush/Cheney lied to us. Guess you forgot that part. What’s the body count now of troops in Iraq alone?

Or do you think Sadaam Hussein was responsible for 911? Pity you.

You like Bush/Cheney, fine. But they are the reason 0bama’s is POTUS.

I could have gotten elected as a Democrat. It was no contest. Hillary would have slaughtered McCain. The Dems simply didn’t want her, they wanted him.

Sure Bush may not be the whole picture, but he and his failed policies is a very HUGE part.

BTW, I don’t take drugs. Maybe you should step away from whatever it is you’re smoking.

Our country progresses when it overcomes it’s bigotry.

I think Bobby Kennedy, most obviously, and his ability to lead and guide in terms of race. When the country progresses civilly, it progresses economically, and culturally, too.

Even Bill, and Hillary were, are, very vocal in their support of the LGBT community, and I admire their leadership, their acceptance of others promotes acceptance among the population.

Obama, OTOH, squashed the issue, seemed, to me anyway, to FEED on the cultural divides, like Rove, part of this new “democratic” agenda to disparage the rights of others, the politics of exclusion in regard to women, and the LGTB community.

I can feel this is going to stink, in terms of this Obama “democratic” crew — OTOH, it’s opened my eyes to some strong political leadership within the LGBT community, and I’m impressed, people who put their money where their money is, people who exhibit personal courage, the kind needed to lead this country, personal honesty combined with brains.

Among the Hillary supporters, the LGTB community, as well as women, (and others, certainly) were among the first to notice, to smell, something wasn’t right with Obama…

Actions speak louder than words, isnt it obvious?