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My Brush With Obama's Top Spook
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Naashon Zalk/AP
A trip aboard Air Force Two with Dennis Blair, Obama's likely pick to be Director of National Intelligence.
I read in the papers (you remember, those things that the news used to be printed on) that my old friend Dennis Blair is up for the top intelligence job in the Obama administration.
They used to be called “Director of Central Intelligence,” but then it was decided that we need someone more even more central, and if possible, more intelligent, so our top spook is now called “Director of National Intelligence.”
Calling Admiral Blair “my old friend” is probably putting it a bit strongly, inasmuch as I haven’t spoken with him since February 1983. Our friendship, if it could ever have been called that, really just consisted of spending nine days on Air Force Two together.
God, I miss the Cold War. It was so much more fun than this one.
He was, at the time, a bright and quite dashing Navy commander, seconded (a British term—being affected, I tend use a lot of them) to the National Security Council at the White House. My own august title was Chief Speechwriter to the Vice President of the United States. (Whenever I put it that way, I sound like Austin Powers, “One million dollars!”) I was speechwriter to George Herbert Walker Bush, as fine a man as I have ever known (next to my late dad).
Remember the Cold War? God, I miss the Cold War. It was so much more fun than this one. Anyway, it was on, back in 1983, and running kind of hot for a cold war. As we now know, the Russians absolutely believed that Ronald Reagan would launch nukes if necessary; just as we now know that Ronald Reagan would never have used “the nuclear option,” even in retaliation. But these facts were unknown knowns back then, as Mr. Rumsfeld might put it.
In February 1983, Vice President was dispatched on a hand-holding mission to our allies in Europe. In brief: NATO countries had petitioned the U.S. to deploy intermediate-range Pershing nuclear missiles and air-launched cruise missiles (“Al-Cums” in the grim parlance of Armageddon), to protect them against similar weapons already deployed by the Evil Empire (the Rooskies, who are still evil; they just dress better these days).
Then, a year after asking us to deploy INF (Intermediate Nuclear Forces), the Europeans, being total weenies, were backing down, under pressure from the Soviets. Mr. Bush was dispatched to make nice—which he was brilliant at—while simultaneously stiffening Euro-spines so that the deployments would go forward and maintain the balance of deterrence.
The Vice President hit eight countries in nine days; or nine countries in eight days. I can’t remember, my noggin is still spinning. It was grueling, but it worked—NATO went through with the deployments and six years later the Berlin Wall came down.
But to my little story: this was a vice presidential mission, but as it was one of actual importance (unlike—let’s face it—most vice presidential missions), the White House sent along Commander Blair, to keep an eye on things and—we figured in West Wing paranoid fashion—to report on us. It was all very collegial and we were all on Team America and all that but we on the Vishnu’s staff (we used to call Mr. Bush “The Vishnu” for reasons I won’t bother going into) felt a little, um, supervised by the presence of an NSC nanny. Moreover, I was informed that I would have to “clear” my speech drafts with him. Harumph!
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Paul Schrodt is a writer living in New York City. He has contributed to New York magazine, Radar, and Esquire.com.
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One Hell of a Speech
Christopher Buckley's books include Supreme Courtship, The White House Mess, Thank You for Smoking, Little Green Men, and Florence of Arabia. He was chief speechwriter for Vice President George H.W. Bush, and is editor-at-large of ForbesLife magazine. His new book is Losing Mum and Pup, a memoir. Buckley's Daily Beast column is the winner of an Online Journalism Award in the category of Online Commentary.
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Christopher Buckley's books include Supreme Courtship, The White House Mess, Thank You for Smoking, Little Green Men, and Florence of Arabia. He was chief speechwriter for Vice President George H.W. Bush, and is editor-at-large of ForbesLife magazine. His new book is Losing Mum and Pup, a memoir. Buckley's Daily Beast column is the winner of an Online Journalism Award in the category of Online Commentary.
Too Big to Succeed
Christopher Buckley's books include Supreme Courtship, The White House Mess, Thank You for Smoking, Little Green Men, and Florence of Arabia. He was chief speechwriter for Vice President George H.W. Bush, and is editor-at-large of ForbesLife magazine. His new book is Losing Mum and Pup, a memoir. Buckley's Daily Beast column is the winner of an Online Journalism Award in the category of Online Commentary.
grammy
Mr. Buckley, I always enjoy your blogs; the humor and intellect are delightful.
Must take exception to one thing you mention in this blog, however.
You say the George Herbert Walker Bush was the finest man you ever knew with the exception of your lovely father. How can you say this knowing that number 41 permitted Lee Atwater to use the Willie Horton ad on his behalf in the 1988 campaign? I will never be able to forgive Former Pres. Bush that cruelty. Someone who could stoop that low, can never be esteemed in my estimation no matter what other great ? things he ever did. I do believe that he is receiving his just desserts with the way the world views his eldest son, however.
A Cincinnati reader
Gurkman
Brilliant story
spinozareader
Mr. Buckley,
I very much enjoy reading your contributions to The Beast. And I don't want to come across as a member of the PC brigade. I live in Southern Indiana (a state,sadly, which has practically served as the home office for the KKK in the past). Are you aware of one of the other more sinister, albeit colloquial, connotations for the word spook? (Think "coon" or "darkie.") For that reason, I must confess that your title "My Brush With Obama's Top Spook" made me cringe.Spook seems a clumsy, or unfortunate, choice of terms given that it has another meaning aside from the one you intended (i.e. referring to someone involved in the clandestine). You seem a man who values the well-chosen word--just thought spook missed a bit here. You were, perhaps, not raised in a locale where you heard a word so abused. If so, lucky you.
twlala
Learning that our future Director of National Intelligence is stupid enough to clip top secret national security documents to someone else's random papers (or masterpiece) and then blithely give them away, and then (hopefully) be blackmailed into caving on an issue to get them back is good. . . how? I say "hopefully" because HOPEFULLY the documents were returned to him and not kept and used for additional blackmail, or worse, used in treason.
I'm not pleased.
Or is this a piece of satire and I'm missing the point entirely?
NOLABOLA
Sheer genius, Buckley! Another home run! (couldn't resist).
pencilbox
That's exactly the type of chestnut you should invite me to brandy over! A roaring fire, a perusal of past exploits and the past exploited, what?
Champion!
clubed60090
Mr. Buckley, are you really that old and that affected? Gee whiz, noboby under the age of 60 will be able to make it through the self-massaging rhetoric (ooh, maybe I'll toss in parenthetical to point out the double-entendre there) to get to the point of your story.
lawrenceb5
What a boring article.
perkyhue
spinozareader: I think you are being a little harsh on Mr.Buckley for his use of the word "spook". There is a much more liberal use of the word in current use, eg: to define the members of any intelligence organisation. There is a BBCTV
program which used to be called MI5, a counter-intelligence organisation with which I had some tenuous connection many years ago. The program is now called "Spooks"- same characters-same old plots, and the Brits are certainly not immune to the needs of PC. O tempora, o mores !
brakingnews
Mr. Buckley,
Your work is so funny and interesting. I make it a point now to read all of your blogs. I do hope you continue with them; you're one of the greatest writers out there today.
Although, I must say, I'm a tad skeptical about this blog which seems that it must have had some truths smudged a bit.
RicoSuave
Well, I rather enjoyed Mr. Buckley's story, affectations included.
Cheers, Chris!
PS: Thanks again for winning that Cold War for us.
lorijen
Another brilliant piece by Mr. Buckley! As a master of understatement, tongue-in-cheekiness, and the semicolon, he has given us a-if-not-the measure of the man Obama has picked for the Director of National Intelligence.My only advice to Blair is: stay away from paper clips.
Tulku2
So you miss the cold war...?
Obama already has a brilliant accomplishment under his belt. He shifted us out of the cold-civil-war of the last fifty years; a war turned up since Viet Nam. I can not express how good this new paradigm feels. This is the paradigm in which no old soldier is president of the United States. We are done with old Rome, her bullying vets, and Rome's old, decaying families. Not a moment too soon. And... you leave out such interesting stories. How about the reason Bush 41 joined WWII at such a tender age...?
easton
great story. Mr. Buckley
spinozareader, I doubt that Buckley came up with the spook phrasing in the title and it was most likely done in editing. I have seen lede titles in numerous articles for many magazines often seem to contradict the whole intent of the article. The fact is that someone besides the writer comes up with the title so the criticism of him is misplaced. If you notice he never once used the phrase in the actual article itself.
dwurry
I must take exception of the use of the term Spook. I find Mr. Buckley's use of a disrespectful term for a black person offensive and I'm quite honestly shocked that "The Daily Beast" would print the headline "My Brush with Obama's Top Spook" I think an appology form "The Daily Beast" and Mr. Buckley is in order.
Thank you.
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