MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT: If You’re Going to Drain the Swamp, Mr. President, You’d Better Start with the FBI.

I suspect most people’s impression of the FBI was similar to mine, gleaned from countless movies. A mid-level mobster gets into some kind of jam, and goes to the FBI to enter Witness Protection in exchange for his testimony against the previously untouchable Big Boss. Or the plucky office worker accidentally uncovers evidence of a criminal conspiracy involving a multinational corporation and/or high-level government officials, and finds herself under the protective wing of a straightlaced FBI agent who just wants to do the right thing at any cost. Or the still-live victim of a serial killer, who could be saved if the mad geniuses of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit can unlock the mind of a madman in time.

That’s certainly the FBI we wanted, even if the day-to-day reality was a bit more mundane (and not always on the up-and-up) than we’d get from a Hollywood thriller. The essential truth remained the same though: The FBI was where you went when you needed protection.

But that’s not entirely true anymore, is it? Or as Captain Mal Reynolds might say of our all-too-postmodern FBI, “My days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle.”

This one is for our VIP members, and that VODKAPUNDIT promo code is still good for a nice little discount, if you’ve been considering becoming a supporter.