At first glance one is tempted to say, “Well, at least he’s being honest.”

After a few moments of reflection it hits me, “Yeah, but it’s the honesty of a fool.”

I may be wrong, but I’d bet good money that Mr. Stein not only knows nothing about the military or our national security apparatus; he probably doesn’t want to know. It is a lot easier to abdicate serious thought on the matter by trying to cast very complicated issues in that same sarcastic wit (or is it half-wit?) he so deftly tosses out on VH1. It is easy to be funny when you know that America’s soldiers and intelligence officers – volunteers all, not the tools he tries to depict – will protect you regardless of how ignorant and thoughtless you choose to be . . . these people who in his mind don’t deserve respect much less thanks.

I wrote earlier about the folly of giving credence to the opinions of celebrities when it comes to national security debates. The math geek in me finds it interesting to note the inverse relationship between how low one is on the celebrity scale (does it go below “D”?) and how much more ridiculous the opinions are.

Stein, if you feel a strong breeze, that’s the rest of us, shaking our heads ruefully at you.

Plenty of others weigh in here, here, here, here and here.

About the Author

Michael Tanji

Michael Tanji spent nearly 20 years in the US intelligence community. Trained in both SIGINT and HUMINT disciplines he has worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the National Reconnaissance Office. At various points in his career he served as an expert in information warfare, computer network operations, computer forensics, and indications and warning. A veteran of the US Army, Michael has served in both strategic and tactical assignments in the Pacific Theater, the Balkans, and the Middle East.