Bad Intelligence
If you're going to make decisions, it's important to have the best, most complete information to work with. Given the utter incompetant doofery displayed by the likes of CIA employees Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame it does not surprise me how so ill-served the White House has been with regards to receiving the best intelligence on national security matters (fall of Soviet Union, the India/Pakistan/North Korea nuke tests, terrorism plots, Iraq WMD, etc. etc).

Similarly, democracy works best when the citizenry (democracy's decision makers) is provided with the complete, honest information. This is where the role of a free press is so important. The press, if you will, is the CIA for the people. Get bad press and you get bad information and bad democratic action in turn.

Which makes this job posting for CBS News all the more depressing.

Description:
CBS is expanding its coverage of the environment. We seek a talented reporter/host for Internet video broadcast. We are looking for smart, creative, hard working up and comers, who can bring great energy, creativity and a dash of humor to our coverage. A deep interest in the environment and sustainability issues will serve you well.

You are wicked smart, funny, irreverent and hip, oozing enthusiasm and creative energy. This position requires strong people, reporting, story telling and writing skills. Managing tight deadlines should be second nature. Knowledge of the enviro beat is a big plus, but not a requirement.

Basically, CBS doesn't care if their reporter is knowledgeable about the issue they have been charged to report. All that matters is that the reporter be hip, irreverant, and funny. They want the Valerie Plame of environmental reporting. No wonder Al Gore is able to sell his global-warming BS to people. Too few know jack-sh*t about environmental science and what little information we receive is delivered to us by pretty-faced Communications majors better at telling jokes than having anything of substance upstairs in their craniums.

What WMD is to George Bush, environmental issues are to the democratic citizenry - incomplete intelligence cobbled together from bad sources and delivered by pretty-faced nincompoops. If we continue to accept this sad state of affairs, will our democracy survive? Or do we edge closer to agenda driven tyranny?

Resist, resist, resist.