DOJ and the release of classified materials

According to President Obama, any question as to what data, classified by the originating agency, may be released to the public will be deferred to the Attorney General and/or his minions. I spent better than 30 years working with the CIA. I handled highly classified materials almost every day. To think that someone, totally removed from ongoing intelligence operations, will decide whether these classified materials may be declassified and released to some outside uncleared body boggles the mind. On what basis will these outsiders make this decision? If the DOJ folks operate true to form, they will base their decision on “political advantage.”

Two key questions: Will the release of this data be advantageous or disadvantageous to the administration? Can the administration exploit the release of this information to its own advantage?

Naturally, the originating agency, CIA, DOD, NSA for example, can submit its input, can provide arguments in favor of not releasing the classified material, but as we have seen in the case of the president’s reworked health insurance programs, the president wants a public option and he shall have it, in one form or another. He will play havoc with Medicare, if he has to, in order not to add to the current budget deficit, but he will have his way. Going back on his word and ordering his attorney general to prosecute CIA officers engaged in following interrogation protocols earlier declared legal by the attorney general’s predecessor, makes no difference. The president needed a show to take the people’s eyes off the horrible mess he’s made of the stimulus program.