Open Gates (Robert, not Bill)

Slate's Jack Shafer examines Defense Secretary Robert Gates' espoused philosophy that "the press is not the enemy, and to treat it as such is self-defeating."

Shafer gives us the following quotes from Gates, who is generally hailed as a refreshing anti-Rummy.

"There is good reason for journalists' skepticism and cynicism."

"The press is the surest way for people to know the truth."

"Secrecy is too often used as a cover for incompetence."

While such views make Gates a happy renegade in military and defense circles, he's simply articulating what every good flack knows -- if you assume an adversarial relationship with the news media, that's likely what you'll get.

Gates is savvy enough not to overstate things, as there's a big difference between someone who is "not the enemy" and someone who is actually a "friend." Exceptions exist, but good flacks seldom make the mistake of classifying reporters as either friends or enemies. Most often, journalists are simply doing their jobs, just as lions do their jobs in culling the weakest zebras from the species. And taking it personally always leads to counter-productive behavior.

The most telling observations in Shafer's piece, however, come from Steven Aftergood. While Aftergood's name would lead you to believe he is the latest cartoon super-hero alter-ego of Stephen Colbert, he's actually director of the project on government secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists. And it seems he isn't falling for any of Gates' clever tricks.

"(Aftergood) has called Gates' efforts to increase openness at the CIA as "halting" and "explicitly motivated by bureaucratic self-interest." But those efforts demonstrate a rare Washington awareness "that openness and responsiveness to the public can advance the interests of an agency over the long run," Aftergood has written."

Hmm? Cooperating with the news media can further your own self-interests?

Diabolical.