Covert orders?

President signed covert orders aiding Syrian rebels

Something tells me that people in the U.S. need to reexamine the definition of the word “covert” because it is obvious that when it comes to the American government, very little is covert. Definition of "Covert"

cov·ert (kvrt, kvrt, k-vûrt) adj.

1. Not openly practiced, avowed, engaged in, accumulated, or shown: covert military operations; covert funding for the rebels. See Synonyms at secret.

2. Covered or covered over; sheltered.

When something is being reported by practically every major news-reporting agency in the world … it is hard to argue that something is being kept a secret.

President Obama, apparently, sometime in the last year signed a “secret” intelligence “finding” (basically an executive order) authorizing American intelligence agencies covertly to provide aid and comfort (and presumably weapons, etc.) to the forces opposed to the Syrian regime. So much for doing anything secretly. But then again, it is not much of a surprise either.

Now, I have a problem with all this. You see, I am tired of my political leadership getting embroiled in various and sundry conflicts, uprisings, liberation movements, etc., especially in the Middle East. Sorry, but if I have learned anything in the last 25 years or so, it is regardless of whatever intentions the U.S. may have … it ain’t gonna work, especially if we are trying to do it on the QT.

Now, I am not so opposed to maybe passing ammunition and holding coats, but that is about as far as I am going to go right now. Still, I would hope that our esteemed Congress people would have enough sense to keep cool heads about them and do what is in the best interest of the country and not necessarily what is politically cool to do. Oops, what a fool am I am? Like that is ever going to happen in my lifetime or probably my grandchildren’s lifetimes.

Granted, President Assad of Syria is a pretty scummy character and probably ranks up there with our old friend Mr. Hussein over in Iraq. But we have been down that trail once, no need to try it again. Too many pacifists and progressives would get upset and we probably don’t have the troops right now to do it up right.

Of course, there are all sorts of reasons to be concerned about the outcome in Syria because it really will have a snowball effect in the whole region. Unfortunately for the U.S., very few of the outcomes are positive in relation to our interests.

Short of a direct attack on the U.S. (not just U.S. interests but the good old U.S. of A.) I very much doubt that the people who really need to be involved in the decision making process about what role the U.S. should be playing in the area (I.E. The U.S. Congress) will do anything but blather. Besides, it is election season, it is August (and all right and left thinking Congress people are going to flee the swamp that is the District of Columbia, despite air-conditioning), so it is going to be squawk season.

Still, I just wish some people either in D.C. or Arlington or McLean could keep their damn traps shut. It is really is annoying, from the perspective of an old soldier, to see these “leaks” about so-called “secrets”. I am just glad I am not on the tip of the spear, because their job is tough enough as it is without blowing bugles and beating the drums that they are there.