Basically, an article (writer) that doesn't have a clue. Not all clearances are equal, nor do they pursue the same depths of information about a person.
A Secret clearance is granted to most working in the DoD requiring one at the most basic level of background investigative efforts. Fill out a questionnaire and maybe endure some sort of basic interview and you're done. A cursory criminal background investigation and you're now "cleared".
Top Secret requires a hell of a lot more personal information and interviews about the personal character of the subject. A polygraph is not an automatic for one being granted a TS.
Yet neither of these methods is going to be able to "detect" a POS like Hassan or Alexis. There were many who flat out ignored the "warning signs" emanating from that islamist piece of filth Hassan and Alexis was probably pushed over the edge due to inadequate coping skills. Comparing these two to others who leaked secrets, is a red herring.
Snowden and Manning are by far the worst as it relates to serious damage to National Security. They granted a TS (unknown if he went through a polygraph) to someone who (Manning) is clearly mentally unstable. But PC probably prevented them from denying the clearance to Manning.
Unless and until they're willing to ask the hard questions and not some basic level pap during the interview, we're going to continue to have problems.
