ObamaOdrama

The AP reports that before a House Armed Services subcommittee, Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, the director of the National Security Agency, and other military leaders delivered prepared testimonies that described the U.S. military’s cyber capabilities as inadequate and unable to keep pace with external threats.

As you might recall last month, the Pentagon “released” a flood of reports citing cyber-attacks on the U.S. designed to bring cybersecurity to the forefront of national attention.  On April 7th, the Pentagon claimed it spent more than $100 million in the last six months responding to cyber attacks.  The next day, a story about the U.S. electrical grid being infiltrated by cyberspies was “leaked” to the press.  On April 21st, the Pentagon claimed cyberspies hacked into its $300 billion Joint Strike Fighter project.

it’s no surprise these testimonies come shortly before the Obama administration will release its review of our nation’s cybersecurity.  And, it doesn’t take much imagination to figure out what the review will conclude.  Move over right-wing extremists.  There’s a new threat on the block and I’m sure it will require all Americans to make sacrifices for the common good.  I’m sure Obama will command his Democratic army to move swiftly in passing legislation granting him real ultimate power of the internet at the same time he assures the sleepy American people he really doesn’t want anything to do with the internets.

Yeah we’ve heard this “sacrifice” spiel before… ironic since Obama wasn’t willing to sacrifice his blackberry despite security concerns. 

P.S.  The legislation has been in the works since the April fools long before the administration began ginning up this crisis.

The AP reports that the Pentagon has spent more than $100 million in the past six months responding to and repairing damage from the cyber attacks and “other” computer network problems.

Hmmm… seems like a drop in the bucket compared to the government bailouts we’ve been forced to pay lately.  I wonder how much of that was attributable to actual outside attacks versus old hardware, government employees getting infected while browsing porn, and everyday computer viruses?  Well if the government says that’s not important that’s good enough for me.

And given the timeliness of this incredible revelation, it’s a good thing Senators  John Rockefeller (D-WV), Evan Bayh (D-IN), Bill Nelson (D-FL), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) are sponsoring 2 new bills: the Cybersecurity Act of 2009 and Office of the National Cybersecurity Advisor.  Basically, these bills will give Obama the authority to shut down internet traffic during a “declared cybersecurity emergency” whatever that might be and the Secretary of Commerce will be granted access to all privately owned information networks deemed to be critical to the nation’s infrastructure without regard to any provision of law, regulation, rule, or policy restricting such access.

I’m sure this non-cyber related attack on our constitutional rights will cost us a lot less than $100 million every six months too.