Hal O'Brien

James Fallows writes about how Google Maps has restored clarity to images of the Naval Observatory grounds -- Dick Cheney's old house, now inhabited by the current Vice President, Joe Biden.

Here's what I wrote to Jim:

*^*^*

Jim:

I can't find it just now, but one of the things I noticed back in the day was not only was the White House somewhat fuzzed out -- which I could see the reasons for, even if I didn't agree with them -- but the courtyards of the adjacent Old Executive Office and Treasury buildings were as well.

That just drove me nuts. Because it would not have occurred to me to look for something suspicious there. But by fuzzing them out, whoever sent out that order tipped their hands that there was something worth paying attention to there.

It was one of many times I would shout at my monitor the words of Casey Stengel about his hapless Mets : "Doesn't anyone here know how to play this game?!"

Perhaps the biggest mystery about the Bush-Cheney years was how they could sell themselves as "experts" or "vigilant" about national security and intelligence issues, while flubbing the details so routinely.

Update: I am happy to report that Google has unfuzzed the whole White House area. Which means those anonymous looking courtyards are now just as anonymous looking as they *should* be.

-- Hal

*^*^*

This is as clear an indication as any that security theater is out, and genuine security is in.