Inside the Beltway is all atwitter today over the news that a social-media account critical of the Obama administration actually belonged to a former high-ranking Obama official. I use past tense in both instances because the White House National Security official — Jofi Joseph — has been canned and his Twitter account taken down.
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A quick glance of the headlines in today’s media frenzy would lead most people to conclude that Mr. Joseph was some sort of White House mole, leaking top-secret information to our nation’s enemies. A closer examination shows this is not the case. But Joseph has admitted to using @natsecwonk to poke ill-mannered fun at D.C. politics as well as bloviate about the folks he worked with and for.
One tweet questioned whetehr Huma Abedin was wearing beer goggles the night she met Anthony Wiener — a thought posed by many Americans over the past several years. Another blasted Vice President Joe Biden for hiring spouses of former staffers with the hashtag “incestuous.”
Mr. Joseph’s ire was not just aimed at the Obama administration. He showed he was an equal-opportunity offender when he mocked the physical appearance of Ann Romney and Liz Cheney and called former Alaska Gov. Sara Palin’s family “white trash.”
Boorish — yes.
Insubordinate — definitely.
But Mr. Joseph’s online rants are hardly the stuff that should earn him a month stay at the Edward Snowden Suite inside Moscow’s international airport.
Unfortunately, before this story disappears expect a flurry of media activity and political posturing, Mr. Joseph will be labeled victim of political correctness by some and an anti-patriotic, misogynistic goat by others. Both sides may well be right. Presidential Press Secretary Jay Carney should consider blaming the Obamacare computer debacle on Mr. Joseph.
As the story hits its mid-week crescendo, expect there to be multiple references to W. Mark Felt, Watergate’s infamous Deep Throat. Aside from comparing the intensity by which the White House went about attempting to discover Mr. Joseph’s true identity, there is no comparison. Even the ghost of Richard Nixon is moaning, “Move on folks. Nothing to see here.”
By the end of Joseph’s unwanted time in the national spotlight, I suspect even Wilileaks founder Julian Assange will scoff at the internal D.C. joust as American-style politics-as-usual. In no time, Mr. Joseph (who could blame him for using a nom de plume?) will be a lonely footnote on the Obama administration’s record.
Rick Robinson is an award-winning novelist. His books can be found on Amazon, Nook and at bookstores everywhere. Government employees wishing to leak secret information are encouraged to like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @authorRick.
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- White House cans staffer with fake Twitter account (rare.go-vip.net)
- White House official tweeting as @natsecwonk exposed, fired (twitchy.com)
- WH Functionary Fired for Candid Tweets (americanthinker.com)