PROTEGE

My heart goes out to the victims and the families affected by Monday’s horrific and tragic Navy Yard shooting. The gunman, Aaron Alexis, received his security clearance through the contractor he worked for, an outfit named The Experts (yeah). And we all know by now that anyone with the ability to google probably could’ve spotted red flags in Aaron Alexis’ troubled past — so why couldn’t/didn’t The Experts properly vet him? Given the recent headline drama with another contractor, NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden, will this latest slip force an overhaul of the way the government contracts private companies with little oversight and no accountability? Doubt it. But Congress is now thinking maybe background checks are important…