![\"Secretary](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dougsbriefcase.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Credit-the-guardian.jpg\")
<\/a>Sec\u00adre\u00adtary of State John Ker\u00adry last week offered up his thoughts on the Kennedy assas\u00adsi\u00adna\u00adtion, join\u00ading many Amer\u00adi\u00adcans who sub\u00adscribe to con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adcy the\u00ado\u00adries. [Cred\u00adit: The Guardian]<\/p><\/div>\u201cMod\u00adern diplo\u00admats approach every prob\u00adlem with an open mouth.\u201d<\/em> \u2014 Arthur J. Gold\u00adberg<\/a>, for\u00admer Labor Sec\u00adre\u00adtary, Supreme Court Jus\u00adtice, and UN<\/span> Ambassador<\/em>\n If Gold\u00adberg is right, then there is no more mod\u00adern a diplo\u00admat than our chat\u00adty Sec\u00adre\u00adtary of State, John Ker\u00adry. Ker\u00adry last week mused aloud on the Kennedy assas\u00adsi\u00adna\u00adtion dur\u00ading his inter\u00adview with for\u00admer net\u00adwork news\u00adread\u00ader Tom Brokaw. \u201cTo this day,\u201d Ker\u00adry said<\/a>,<\/span> \u201cI have seri\u00adous doubts that Lee Har\u00advey Oswald act\u00aded alone.\u201d<\/p>\n Hav\u00ading said enough, Ker\u00adry pro\u00adceed\u00aded to say more. \u201cI cer\u00adtain\u00adly have doubts that he was moti\u00advat\u00aded by him\u00adself, I mean I\u2019m not sure if any\u00adbody else was involved \u2014 I don\u2019t go down that road with respect to the Grassy Knoll the\u00ado\u00adry and all that \u2014 but I have seri\u00adous ques\u00adtions about whether they got to the bot\u00adtom of Lee Har\u00advey Oswald\u2019s time and influ\u00adence from Cuba and Rus\u00adsia,\u201d the Sec\u00adre\u00adtary of State opined, omi\u00adnous\u00adly hint\u00ading that the gov\u00adern\u00adments of two coun\u00adtries with whom we are pre\u00adsum\u00adably try\u00ading to improve rela\u00adtions may be behind one of the twen\u00adti\u00adeth century\u2019s most hor\u00adrif\u00adic acts.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>I think he [Oswald] was inspired some\u00adwhere by some\u00adthing, and I don\u2019t know what or if or any \u2014 I can\u2019t pin any\u00adthing down on that,\u201d he added unhelpfully.<\/p>\n Kerry\u2019s lucid\u00adi\u00adty and diplo\u00admat\u00adic acu\u00admen aside, he is clear\u00adly with\u00adin the main\u00adstream of Amer\u00adi\u00adcan con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adcy the\u00ado\u00adrists. Such is the find\u00ading of a new work<\/a> by Amer\u00adi\u00adcan Enter\u00adprise Insti\u00adtute Senior Fel\u00adlow Kar\u00adlyn Bow\u00adman and Research Assis\u00adtant Andrew Rugg, an infor\u00adma\u00adtive and enter\u00adtain\u00ading study of pub\u00adlic opin\u00adion on var\u00adi\u00adous con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adcy the\u00ado\u00adries, rang\u00ading from the Kennedy assas\u00adsi\u00adna\u00adtion to rigged Super Bowls.<\/p>\n Bow\u00adman is that rare stu\u00addent of pub\u00adlic opin\u00adion who seems to have no axe to grind. She does not, to my knowl\u00adedge, lend her ser\u00advices to polit\u00adi\u00adcal cam\u00adpaigns or com\u00admer\u00adcial enter\u00adpris\u00ades. And though she is employed by a Cen\u00adter-Right think tank, her work seems unskewed by ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy. She has an aca\u00add\u00ade\u00adm\u00adic bent for pre\u00adci\u00adsion and under\u00adstate\u00adment. She is less inter\u00adest\u00aded in telling you what she thinks than in under\u00adstand\u00ading and ana\u00adlyz\u00ading what the pub\u00adlic thinks on a wide array of subjects.<\/p>\n The major\u00adi\u00adty of the pub\u00adlic thinks our Sec\u00adre\u00adtary of State is right to dis\u00adbe\u00adlieve the government\u2019s offi\u00adcial expla\u00adna\u00adtion of Kennedy\u2019s mur\u00adder. Bow\u00adman cites a poll tak\u00aden in Decem\u00adber 1963, the month after the event, which found that 62 per\u00adcent of the pub\u00adlic believed that Oswald didn\u2019t act alone. A poll con\u00adduct\u00aded this past April, near\u00adly half a cen\u00adtu\u00adry lat\u00ader, found that 59 per\u00adcent of Amer\u00adi\u00adcans main\u00adtain that view (p. 1).<\/p>\n In sug\u00adgest\u00ading that the Russ\u00adian and Cuban gov\u00adern\u00adments may have played a role, Ker\u00adry is in the minor\u00adi\u00adty. A 2003 Gallup poll found that only 15 per\u00adcent fault those regimes (p. 8). A 1991 CNN<\/span> poll found that 48% impli\u00adcate the Mafia, while 50% believe the CIA<\/span> engi\u00adneered the oper\u00ada\u00adtion (an alle\u00adga\u00adtion that Ker\u00adry rejects), sug\u00adgest\u00ading an odd col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion between gov\u00adern\u00adment agents and the mob (p. 5).<\/p>\n And while it is dis\u00adturb\u00ading to think that half of poll respon\u00addents believe that a fed\u00ader\u00adal agency con\u00adspired to assas\u00adsi\u00adnate an Amer\u00adi\u00adcan Pres\u00adi\u00addent, it is no less trou\u00adbling to con\u00adsid\u00ader that an over\u00adwhelm\u00ading major\u00adi\u00adty of Amer\u00adi\u00adcans has con\u00adsis\u00adtent\u00adly said that their gov\u00adern\u00adment has engaged in \u201can offi\u00adcial cov\u00ader-up to keep the pub\u00adlic from learn\u00ading the truth about the Kennedy assas\u00adsi\u00adna\u00adtion\u201d (p. 4). Bow\u00adman cites six polls, tak\u00aden over the course of 15 years by CBS<\/span>, the New York Times and ABC<\/span>, which posed that ques\u00adtion. Majori\u00adties rang\u00ading from 61 to 81 per\u00adcent believe that the gov\u00adern\u00adment is hid\u00ading the truth, a belief that cross\u00ades par\u00adty lines. A 2003 Fox News poll found that 81 per\u00adcent of Democ\u00adrats and 69 per\u00adcent of Repub\u00adli\u00adcans sub\u00adscribe to this view.<\/p>\n That is per\u00adhaps not sur\u00adpris\u00ading since, Bow\u00adman notes, \u201cwhen\u00adev\u00ader poll\u00adsters use the words \u2018gov\u00adern\u00adment\u2019 and \u2018cov\u00ader-up,\u2019 a sub\u00adstan\u00adtial num\u00adber respond in the affir\u00adma\u00adtive\u201d (p. 2), a dis\u00adqui\u00adet\u00ading finding.<\/p>\n Bow\u00adman also con\u00adclud\u00aded that adher\u00adence to con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adcy the\u00ado\u00adries isn\u2019t con\u00adfined to par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar demo\u00adgraph\u00adic groups. The notion that such the\u00ado\u00adries are the pre\u00adoc\u00adcu\u00adpa\u00adtion of the poor\u00adly-edu\u00adcat\u00aded doesn\u2019t hold up.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Mid\u00addle-aged Amer\u00adi\u00adcans are more like\u00adly to believe in the JFK<\/span> assas\u00adsi\u00adna\u00adtion con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adcy than old\u00ader or younger ones. Young peo\u00adple and Democ\u00adrats are most like\u00adly to sub\u00adscribe to con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adcy the\u00ado\u00adries about 9\/11. Women are more like\u00adly to believe foul play was involved in Princess Diana\u2019s death\u2026 We\u2019re hes\u00adi\u00adtant to endorse what much of the lit\u00ader\u00ada\u00adture con\u00adcludes \u2013 that the young and less edu\u00adcat\u00aded are more prone to con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adto\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal instincts\u201d (p. 2).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n To illus\u00adtrate her point, she cites numer\u00adous poll results. Among them:<\/p>\n It would seem that almost every\u00adone sub\u00adscribes to one con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adcy the\u00ado\u00adry or anoth\u00ader and that many are inclined to think that the gov\u00adern\u00adment is engaged in cov\u00ader-ups. Sus\u00adpi\u00adcion of gov\u00adern\u00adment is not con\u00adfined to the Tea Par\u00adty, but rather seems unbound\u00aded by ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy, par\u00adty, gen\u00adder, race or age.<\/p>\n Apart from the Kennedy assas\u00adsi\u00adna\u00adtion, which is wide\u00adly shared, these the\u00ado\u00adries tend to exert a divi\u00adsive force on our pol\u00adi\u00adtics. Peo\u00adple on the Left are more like\u00adly to believe that Pres\u00adi\u00addent Bush \u201cinten\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adly allowed the 9\/11 attacks\u201d (Pub\u00adlic Pol\u00adi\u00adcy Polling, 2009, p. 31) and that he \u201cdelib\u00ader\u00adate\u00adly mis\u00adled the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan pub\u00adlic about whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruc\u00adtion\u201d (CNN<\/span>\/ORC<\/span>, 2013, pp. 33\u20134). Those on the Right are more like\u00adly to think that Pres\u00adi\u00addent Oba\u00adma was not born in this coun\u00adtry (CNN<\/span>\/ORC<\/span>, 2011, p. 35).<\/p>\n These dis\u00adparate the\u00ado\u00adries, dif\u00adfi\u00adcult or impos\u00adsi\u00adble to dis\u00adprove \u2014 at least to the sat\u00adis\u00adfac\u00adtion of their adher\u00adents \u2014 have a last\u00ading and cor\u00adro\u00adsive effect on our pol\u00adi\u00adtics. Democ\u00adra\u00adcies can and must accom\u00admo\u00addate par\u00adti\u00adsan and pol\u00adi\u00adcy dif\u00adfer\u00adences, but they require an under\u00adly\u00ading con\u00adsen\u00adsus, a com\u00admon nar\u00adra\u00adtive. When dif\u00adfer\u00adent groups har\u00adbor com\u00adpet\u00ading con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adcy the\u00ado\u00adries about the way things real\u00adly<\/strong><\/em> work, com\u00adpro\u00admise becomes more dif\u00adfi\u00adcult and elusive.<\/p>\n The con\u00adspir\u00adacist per\u00adceives a chasm between polit\u00adi\u00adcal dis\u00adcourse and real inten\u00adtions. Things are not what they seem and polit\u00adi\u00adcal lan\u00adguage is intend\u00aded to dis\u00adguise and con\u00adceal an unseen real\u00adi\u00adty. Every\u00adone is pre\u00adsumed to have a hid\u00adden agen\u00adda. If you believe that Repub\u00adli\u00adcans are out to make the rich wealth\u00adi\u00ader and keep the poor in pover\u00adty, then you can\u2019t take seri\u00adous\u00adly pro\u00adpos\u00adals to spur eco\u00adnom\u00adic growth through tax cuts. If you think that Democ\u00adrats aim to enlarge gov\u00adern\u00adment and strip cit\u00adi\u00adzens of their lib\u00ader\u00adty, then a pro\u00adpos\u00adal to expand health insur\u00adance cov\u00ader\u00adage looks like just anoth\u00ader gov\u00adern\u00adment pow\u00ader grab.<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean that we should accept what\u00adev\u00ader the gov\u00adern\u00adment or politi\u00adcians say at face val\u00adue. Demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic cit\u00adi\u00adzen\u00adship demands skep\u00adti\u00adcism. But as Bow\u00adman notes, it can be hard to deter\u00admine \u201cat what point an indi\u00advid\u00adual cross\u00ades the line from skep\u00adtic to con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adcy the\u00ado\u00adrist\u201d (p. 2).<\/p>\n I am not a con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adcy the\u00ado\u00adrist because I am a skep\u00adtic. Three decades spent in and around gov\u00adern\u00adment con\u00advinced me that no indi\u00advid\u00adual or group of indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adals is smart enough or com\u00adpe\u00adtent enough to orga\u00adnize the sorts of schemes that gov\u00adern\u00adment alleged\u00adly perpetrates.<\/p>\n Con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adcies require com\u00adpe\u00adtence. Oba\u00admacare is among many dai\u00adly reminders of gov\u00adern\u00adment incompetence.<\/p>\n Con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adcies also require knowl\u00adedge. Con\u00adsid\u00ader all that the Pres\u00adi\u00addent, a bril\u00adliant, ded\u00adi\u00adcat\u00aded and high\u00adly edu\u00adcat\u00aded man, did not know<\/a> about the Exec\u00adu\u00adtive Branch of gov\u00adern\u00adment that is under his direct super\u00advi\u00adsion \u2013 he did not know that the IRS<\/span> was sin\u00adgling out con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive groups for adverse treat\u00adment, he did not know that the NSA<\/span> was mon\u00adi\u00adtor\u00ading the cell\u00adphone of the Ger\u00adman Chan\u00adcel\u00adlor and the com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtions of dozens of heads of allied states, he did not know that the health care exchanges wouldn\u2019t work, assur\u00ading audi\u00adences just days before their launch that enrolling in cov\u00ader\u00adage would be as easy as buy\u00ading air\u00adline tick\u00adets<\/a>,<\/span> he did not know that our facil\u00adi\u00adties in Beng\u00adhazi were in dan\u00adger of attack and then mis\u00adtak\u00aden\u00adly thought that the attack result\u00aded from protests against a YouTube video, he did not know that mil\u00adlions would have their health insur\u00adance cov\u00ader\u00adage can\u00adceled after he had repeat\u00aded\u00adly promised that they could keep it (he is sor\u00adry<\/a> about that, though).<\/p>\n If this is the man who is mas\u00adter\u00admind\u00ading gov\u00adern\u00adment metas\u00adta\u00adsis, then our lib\u00ader\u00adties would appear secure.<\/p>\n The prob\u00adlem with gov\u00adern\u00adment is not that it per\u00adpe\u00adtrates con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adcies, but that it sets out to do things it can\u00adnot do well, if at all. The con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adto\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal bent of mind is a close cousin of the Left\u2019s con\u00adceit that real\u00adly smart peo\u00adple can redesign and remake soci\u00adety accord\u00ading to their own sense of how things should work. They\u2019re just not that smart. Or that good. Their trail of fail\u00adure is marked by bro\u00adken promis\u00ades, botched pro\u00adgrams, and mount\u00ading debt.<\/p>\n Gov\u00adern\u00adment is dan\u00adger\u00adous because its benev\u00ado\u00adlent inten\u00adtions out\u00adrun its capa\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adties. It does dam\u00adage when it sets out to do more than it was designed to do. Amer\u00adi\u00adcans shouldn\u2019t fear gov\u00adern\u00adment con\u00adspir\u00ada\u00adcies, but a gov\u00adern\u00adment that exceeds its limits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201c<\/span>Mod\u00adern diplo\u00admats approach every prob\u00adlem with an open mouth.\u201d \u2014 Arthur J. Gold\u00adberg, for\u00admer Labor Sec\u00adre\u00adtary, Supreme Court Jus\u00adtice, and UN<\/span> Ambas\u00adsador If Gold\u00adberg is right, then there is no more mod\u00adern a diplo\u00admat than our chat\u00adty Sec\u00adre\u00adtary of State, John \u2026 Con\u00adtin\u00adue read\u00ading \n