The Monster in the White House

No not the President -- the Situation Room!

The monster lurks - silent and invisible; slowly working is terrible effect on the people living and working in the White House. Call it the "Military/Political /Diplomatic Mindset." The cultural stew into which the newly elected President is thrown -- to continually marinate while surrendering any conflicting attitude or character trait.

Consider -- the President might be a nice, thoughtful, educated and well intentioned guy from Chicago. OK, he wants to "spread the wealth around," but he's still not an evil being. Yet even before he's elected, the Secret Service envelopes him in a cloud of protective security. And while it protects his person, it also begins to numb his creativity and any consideration that there are ways of using power other than those which are presented by the Military/Political/Diplomatic Mindset. Once in office, the "Man with the Football" is within a few yards at all times -- to say nothing of the detachment of Full Dress Marine Guards, saluting regularly. He is after all, Commander in Chief.

These realities alone would be enough to influence the perspective of a Zen Monk, let alone a freshman party politician from the south side.

Add to this the elimination of access to friends, former colleagues and everyday conversations (both personal and overheard...) at Starbucks. But this is only the beginning.

Next step on the road to complete unreality is the descent into hell -- the Situation Room.

"Something has Happened -- Somewhere in the World" and it has created a "Situation." Some crazed jiihadist Mullah has instigated a plan and blown up a building using a mind-blown illiterate mule with a C-4 suppository. Within hours, the A Team has assembled in the Situation Room to "Present the Options" to the President. He leaves the residence, walks down to the West Wing basement, paying no attention to the attentive staff, or hovering aides. He presents his palm to the ID system, enters the room and waits while the entire team "Stands to Attention." The Freshman Senator has come a long way via a family home in Chicago, thru a bachelor apartment in Washington, to the Oval Office -- and it has changed him -- so much so that he doesn't blink an eye at the room full of brass standing and waiting to present the options on his order.

At his nod, the presentation begins. "Mr. President, Something has happened. Here's the What, Why and How. Here's how it got past us. (Later we'll get to who screwed up...) Here's what we suggest by way of response. These are the options."

How will he react to a room full of experienced Military/Political/Diplomatic hands -- in full uniform -- suggesting three potential options? Will he say, "No?" Would you?

He will do something. And that "Something" will have been conceived and suggested by the Military/Political/Diplomatic machinery of the White House. Not one of the professionals in the room will suggest that the mighty United States do something simple or inexpensive. Nobody in the Situation Room will observe that bombs, aircraft, weapons and money cannot eliminate poverty and ignorance or educate women in Afghanistan -- because The Monster doesn't trade in education. The Monster serves itself -- and it bends all of us to its' will. The Monster also has a powerful knee jerk reaction to provocation -- the tendency to see everything through its own lens of Military/Political/Diplomatic intervention. The choices to do nothing; to not intervene or to intervene with food, agriculture and education are not going to be presented.

The Proposition here is that the system may well be the real enemy. The system reduces a quiet, introspective, soulful guy to "a Maker of Choices" among the options the system manufactures. He's proud and excited about "being in charge," yet he doesn't realize that he's already been digested. The system sees "problems" in the world and the system proposes solutions. As the system continues promoting itself, the potential opportunity for creativity and real cultural evolution is the latest victim of The Monster in the White House.