White House Leak Investigations

We used to have a saying about the Washington Post and secrets:  "Don't let us see this on the front Page of the Post."  In general, it was intended as a warning about whether a person could be employed after something appeared there.  Usually, that answer was no.  On the front page of today's Post are two examples of what we should see as career-ending disclosures of information.

I have always thought the White House could run a leak investigation when they wanted to, and there is proof positive on the front page today.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/stung-by-a-twitter-renegade-group-in-obama-administration-launched-sting-of-its-own/2013/10/23/3cb89d56-3c00-11e3-b6a9-da62c264f40e_story.html?tid=pm_pop  One of their own, a member of the National Security Council staff, was using an anonymous Twitter account to disparage White House officials and policies.  They did what anyone should do when information leaks, they started a leak investigation and planted information with internal employees to see which pieces of it appeared in the press.  This is not novel or unique - anyone should know how to do it.  The found the person they were looking for, and by all indications, he will be unemployed.

At the same time, the lead story in the Post today is a more gripping tale of Top Secret agreements between Pakistan and the United States over how and where drone strikes are to be conducted.   http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/top-pakistani-leaders-secretly-backed-cia-drone-campaign-secret-documents-show/2013/10/23/15e6b0d8-3beb-11e3-b6a9-da62c264f40e_story.html?tid=ts_carousel

Now, how is it that the White House can run a fairly mature leak investigation when it involves slams to their own people and those right on their door step, but the can't find out who is leaking Top Secret documents to the people just down the street from them?  We have yet to see who actually leaked the information about the new type of underwear bomb plucked out of an Al Qaeda bomb factory, who gave the information to the Times about the Stuxnet worm, or who was behind this latest disclosure about Pakistan and arrangements we had with them on drone strikes.  Can anyone at that end of the street keep a secret?  Sometimes.