The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) deploys the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) to protect the nation against epidemics. In the throes of a pandemic, Americans have good cause to regard the vaunted “medical CIA” as a failure. As Diana Robeletto Scalera of the CDC Foundation explains, the EIS “works day and night domestically and globally to ensure epidemics in other countries do not hit American soil.” EIS disease detectives “are the ones responsible and they take this role very seriously.” According to the CDC, “EIS officers serve on the front lines of public health, protecting Americans and the global community.” When diseases and public health threats emerge, “EIS officers investigate, identify the cause, rapidly implement control measures, and collect evidence to recommend preventive actions.” Whatever causes and threats they identified in China, the EIS officers failed to prevent the COVID-19 virus from arriving on American soil. Embattled Americans …