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The rationale used to discourage Senators from leaking is the same as the rationale that used to justify polygraph "testing" of MacDonald's employees to discourage them from stealing. In neither case is there any interest in whether the polygraph is a valid way of detecting deception or guilt, but only one in deterring behavior that is undesirable.
It will be interesting to see where this goes, but I recall that Secretary Schulz refused to take the polygraph a couple of decades ago, and his refusal had little effect on the polygraph industry. Still, one difference is that the antipolygraph web site did not exist. But the tendency towards unethical superstitious thinking has not abated.
All the best, John
Posted by: Drew Richardson Posted on: Mar 6th, 2006 at 3:46pm
I wish Senator Durbin would be asked to take a polygraph examination. Perhaps he will remember my testimony (http://www.antipolygraph.org/hearings/senate-judiciary-1997/richardson-statement...) regarding polygraphy before the United States Senate (Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts). At the time Senator Durbin was the ranking member of that subcommittee. Both he and Senator Grassley (Subcommittee Chairman) expressed great concern about how the polygraph was being used. It would be quite satisfying to see Senator Durbin share some of that testimony amongst other things with his colleagues on the floor of the Senate as he refuses to submit to such pseudoscientific nonsense.
Posted by: George W. Maschke Posted on: Mar 6th, 2006 at 1:41pm
Writing in a MichNews.com article titled "Senators Rockefeller and Durbin May Take Polygraph Tests," Jim Kouri cites former deputy-undersecretary of Defense and American Spectator editor Jed Babbin as stating that "Senators Rockefeller, Durbin, and Wyden, and some on their staffs will soon be requested to take polygraphs" regarding the leaking of classified information. Excerpt:
Quote:
The United States government and its intelligence community are adopting a series of initiatives to discourage government employees from leaking classified information to journalists, The Washington Post reported in its Sunday edition.
The efforts include several FBI probes, a polygraph investigation inside the CIA and a warning from the Justice Department that reporters could be prosecuted under espionage laws, the Post said.
During the Bush Administration, a nexus of politicians, government workers and members of the news media have worked overtime in leaking classified information. From the secret terrorist prisons to the National Security Agency's super-secret surveillance program, intelligence officials and the Bush Administration have had to watch their counterterrorism efforts neutralized for political reasons.
Special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation recently interviewed dozens of employees at the CIA, the NSA and other intelligence agencies as part of an intense and wide-reaching investigation. Many employees who possess security clearances at the CIA, FBI, the Justice Department and other agencies received letters from the Justice Department forbidding them from discussing even unclassified intelligence programs.
But people such as former deputy-undersecretary of Defense Jed Babbin don't think the Justice Department investigators and prosecutors have the guts to indict a US senator. Babbin said it would cause a battle royal on the Hill, if not a constitutional crisis.
He did say however, that any senator or Congressional staffer that holds a security clearance can be asked at any time to take a polygraph. The individual can of course refuse to take the test, but failure to do so is reason to remove that person's security clearance. Babbin further said that Senators Rockefeller, Durbin, and Wyden, and some on their staffs will soon be requested to take polygraphs.
Kouri does not disclose how Mr. Babbin purports to know that polygraphs will be requested of these senators and members of their staffs.