Judge Napolitano arrived safely in Switzerland and, thanks to the miracle of the internet, was able to perform his show as planned. We discussed Bakhmut and the Ukrainian attack on the Russian border at Belgorod. The West is desperate to avoid any meaningful discussion or review of the Battle of Bakhmut because it was such a huge loss. Think about it: a small “private” paramilitary force, backed by the former chef with no military experience, forced Ukraine’s NATO-trained and supplied army to retreat.
This is a very important point. Conventional military doctrine states that an army attacking an entrenched force needs at least three times more soldiers than the defending force. It seems that Russia is being very unconventional. The Wagner Group’s 32,000 fighters defeated a Ukrainian force employing over 120,000 troops, with 70% casualties for the Ukrainians. Russia is writing new chapters for military academies and war colleges on attacking and defeating a numerically superior force entrenched in fortifications. Russia did not fight Afghan herders or AK-47-armed Iraqi tribesmen. It took on and defeated a NATO proxy force equipped with modern weapons. There isn’t enough lipstick in the world to paint this pig and make it look pretty.
After my interview with the good judge, I chatted with a retired CIA buddy who filled me in on the personnel disaster that is turning the CIA into a fully awakened institution. Thirty years ago, an aspiring employee had to pass a polygraph and be drug-free. Prior use of marijuana or other recreational drugs can be a show stopper. That was then. Now? The CIA only asks if the applicant smoked pot or used other illegal drugs in the year prior to applying to the Agency. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that once a former drug user is brought on board, there’s no stopping him or her from continuing to enjoy the guilty pleasure of getting buzzed (hopefully while off work).
More troubling is current hiring practice: In a recent class for new analysts, 92% of new hires came from one state. If you were to guess Alabama or Virginia, you’d be wrong. 92% of analysts come from one of the most liberal states in the United States. The Agency’s hiring standard welcomes the Woke crowd and shuns men and women who profess traditional values. If you have conservative values, you don’t need to apply. You probably won’t get hired.
I’ve written before about the pressures CIA executives face when they write their employees’ annual evaluation, which plays a key role in determining who gets promoted. If an employee is a minority or openly gay or transgender person and is not being promoted, the manager must write an explanation as to why he or she is not promoting that person. Guess what happens? People get promoted because of their social justice status rather than the quality of their work. Is it any wonder that the quality of the CIA’s analytical product is succumbing to political pressure?