I Be Leakin', that's What I Be Doing

Leak it to the east, leak to the west
I leak it to the woman that I love the best
I be leakin'

(To the tune of Clarence Carter's Strokin')

My impromptu verse above was inspired by an article in Politico on how politicians strategically use leaks, clandestine tip-offs to reporters always looking for scoops or exclusive information. The article is interesting because it offers a typology of leaks, from the courageous to the cowardly. From leaks to expose the criminality of invasions, the ethical violations of leaders, to simple smear campaigns against opponents.

One of the more interesting examples is the strategic self-leak (my awkward term). The Gore campaign, for example, leaked its own bad news strategically in order to soften the blow when the news picked it up. They leaked their own bad news to the Washington Times, an avowed right-wing rag, and had it run on the black hole of news days, Saturday. This gave the m some cushion from impending scandal: they could say this is old news, depict it as a right-wing campaign, and thus repel is more easily.

KABOBfest will trade sex for leeks (not leaks).