The Center for Individual Freedom has obtained the following White House memorandum, reprinted here in full.

Memorandum To:  Rahm Emanuel
From:  David Axelrod
Subject:  Dealing with our political enemies

This memorandum addresses the matter of how we can maximize the fact of our incumbency in dealing with persons known to be active in their opposition to our Administration, stated a bit more bluntly – how we can use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies.

After reviewing this matter with a number of persons possessed of experience in the field, I have concluded that we do not need an elaborate mechanism or game plan, rather we need a good project coordinator and full support for the project.  In brief, the system would work as follows:

--Key members of the staff could be requested to inform us as to who they feel we should giving a hard time.

--The project coordinator should then determine what sorts of dealings these individuals have with the Federal Government and how we can best screw them (e.g., grant availability, federal contracts, litigation prosecution, etc.)

--The project coordinator then should have access to and the full support of the top officials of the agency or departments in proceeding to deal with the individual.

I have learned that there have been many efforts in the past to take such actions, but they have ultimately failed – in most cases because of lack of support at the top.  Of all those I have discussed this matter with, Anita appears the most knowledgeable and most interested.  If she had support she would enjoy undertaking this activity as the project coordinator.  You are aware of some of her successes in the field, but she feels that she can employ limited efforts because there is a lack of support.

As a next step, I would recommend that we develop a small list of names – not more than ten – as our targets for concentration.  Request that she "do a job" on them and if she finds she is getting cut off by a department agency, that she inform us and we evaluate what is necessary to proceed.  I feel it is important that we keep our targets limited for several reasons:  (1) a low visibility of the project is imperative; (2) it will be easier to accomplish something real if we don’t over expand our efforts; and (3) we can learn more about how to operate such an activity if we start small and build.

Approve – Disapprove – Comment

The memo is real, word for word, but it was sent, on August 16, 1971, by Nixon White House Counsel John Dean.  We changed all the names to make a point as dramatically as we can.  For that, we apologize to readers, but not to those named, for the path they are choosing is already far more offensive than our broadside.

This country has been in a divided and divisive place like this before.  Last time, the effort to “do a job” on enemies did not turn out well for most of the Nixon White House participants. 

The current effort by the Obama White House, thus far limited (as far as we know) to infantile rantings about and some open threats against Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Fox News, the health insurance industry, “Wall Street” and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is going to end badly for this administration – even if it descends no further into the muck.

This may be fun for all the president’s boys and girls for a while.  It may raise money from the faithful.  It may titillate a restless left-wing base.  It may even be appealing to a Mainstream Media that have either forgotten how to do their job or are, as currently populated, incompetent to fulfill it.  It may, in fact, frighten some opponents who are all too aware of the terrible power of government lurking in the shadows to do political bidding, all too often without necessity of memos.  But in the end, it will not turn out well for this White House and is as demeaning of the Presidency as almost anything we can imagine.