Steven Aftergood on how the government blocking access from the Library of Congress computers to WikiLeaks affects the Congressional Research Service:
“I can understand LOC blocking the public's access to Wikileaks,” a former CRS analyst said. “It would have no control over someone from the public using classified information for impermissible or improper purposes. [But] the connection between LOC and CRS has always been somewhat fuzzy because Congress intended CRS to have a certain amount of autonomy. There should be room for CRS to adopt a different policy, particularly for specialists who have security clearances, know how to protect classified information, and can be entrusted to use Wikileaks appropriately. To me, it is a wrong course to simply close the door tightly without searching for a compromise needed to continue providing Congress with high-level professional analysis.”
In fact, if CRS is “Congress's brain,” then the new access restrictions could mean a partial lobotomy.
What's being dumber when it means you can be more "secret"? This strikes me as the sort of counterproductive reaction Dan Drezner has written about.
