Comments on: Various Resources http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2009/01/various-2.html Secrecy News from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy Thu, 24 May 2012 10:04:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: J http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2009/01/various-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-2540 J Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:22:16 +0000 http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/?p=2222#comment-2540 The client in Sheldon Cohen's security clearance case is a dummy. That’s a famous question, and it is not a trap. It’s simply a stark way of asking, “When interests are not aligned, whose side are you on?” It’s not that hard to answer it, however distasteful or unfair the suspicions implied by the question might seem. Where there is such a blindingly obvious right answer, it seems pointless to fret that the right answer would appear disingenuous. Nobody involved is looking for a nuanced response involving deep thoughts about geopolitics, history, the Democratic Peace, or 4F status; I’m told by one person who has faced that question that the response sought is not simply “yes,” but a quick yes. In other words, if you have to stop and think about it, an unfavorable inference is liable to be drawn. The client in Sheldon Cohen’s security clearance case is a dummy. That’s a famous question, and it is not a trap. It’s simply a stark way of asking, “When interests are not aligned, whose side are you on?” It’s not that hard to answer it, however distasteful or unfair the suspicions implied by the question might seem. Where there is such a blindingly obvious right answer, it seems pointless to fret that the right answer would appear disingenuous.

Nobody involved is looking for a nuanced response involving deep thoughts about geopolitics, history, the Democratic Peace, or 4F status; I’m told by one person who has faced that question that the response sought is not simply “yes,” but a quick yes. In other words, if you have to stop and think about it, an unfavorable inference is liable to be drawn.

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