Yeah, some version of "pro-CIA progressive" is a common political identity in DC. It is very weird.

It's almost like when a parent is in denial about their spouse abusing others. They turn a blind eye to it.

Or it's more like the people in DC see the value that the IC brings to policy and war.

Right, like a parent sees the value of an extra income, and subconsciously recognizes the benefit to their sanity to not recognize that they live with an abuser, so they let things slide.

Yes stopping terror attacks and keeping the US policy circles informed about ongoing activities in other countries is the same as domestic abuse. Well put! /s

Agreed - any functioning modern government needs an effective IC, the replies to your comment are naive. People in DC are more likely to see the pragmatic reality as part of their work, rather than some HN commenter who works on ads at facebook.

Nah, they just want a job and like that their eligible degree and clean track record allows them a fast track in earnings, compared to other government employees and everyone else in the area.

They're just as disillusioned as any one else.

The only people that drink the coolaid are a subset of the high school dropouts in the military, who actually need the military as the opportunity, singular. That system - even dropping out of high school - is basically tailored for non objective thinkers searching for a missing support system.

As as Greek–American, I am somehow not sold on the "value" of the American IC's support for right-wing dictatorships.

Where are these right wing dictatorships you mention? If you are mad about the US supporting dictatorships just wait till you hear about USAID.

Or perhaps it is simpler: DC is overwhelmingly Democratic, Trump did not like the "deep state", so it must be embraced with enthusiasm, of course.

Polarized two-party politics makes some strange bedfellows.

rough take, DC is fed by workers from Maryland and Virginia, educated in their universities and pipelined into Defense and Defense contracting.

This has been the case for a long time and those surrounding states have large Republican portions especially where many of the Universities are located in the middle of nowhere. But higher education is heavily Democratic, and doubly so in that area.

But the 2010s don't have much to do with aspirations in the intelligence community, mostly undermining those aspirations with the whistleblowing.

So even a tongue in cheek response like that is still trying to make a relation thats tough to make.