Jobber
Porter "The Jobber" Goss has left the CIA. He did a Brownie-like "Heckuvajob." He was able, in only a short amount of time, to disable and demoralize America's key spy agency to an extent that the old KGB could only dream of. In fact, if the Jobber had only been appointed twenty years ago, the Soviet Union might still exist.
The chief failing of CIA during these Dark Ages since the Junta stole power from Americans has been their acquiescence to political command. An agency conceived by the Great Harry Truman to be an independent truth-telling institution was pressured to ignore al Qaeda before 9-11 and then to change their tune about Saddam before the Iraq invasion. In both cases, it was political pressured which skewed the intel to a deadly degree.
But then the same guys who'd put the screws to them and forced their errors turned on poor CIA. The agency was scapegoated over both fiascos, and a 'reform' guy put in charge. Enter the Jobber.
Look: if you want to 'fix' the CIA, make it more independent and less answerable to politicians. If you want to destroy it, make it a political puppet to support bad policy from right-wing extremists and fire anybody who ever voted for a Democrat. Which is exactly what the Jobber did.
Now, for whatever reason, the Jobber got forced out. My guess is that it was his conflicts with new intel head Negroponte more than any bad blood he stirred up at CIA. It could also have been the 'Hookergate' investigation that's been sniffing around the former Congressman.
Either way, Georgie didn't hesitate to bring in his New Jobber, General Michael Hayden. Looking just a little silly with his podgy cheeks and bright blue Air Force General uniform, Hayden is a perfect choice if you want to hand the whole thing over to Rummy. The one traditionally civilian intel arm of the US government will now be led by a general.
And not just any general. This general was the "brains" behind the illegal NSA wiretap scheme. This was the general who argued with a reporter about privacy protections in the Fourth Amendment - and got it wrong. This is a special general indeed.
"But in the heels of the nomination, the White House was quick to indicate that an old hand was being brought back to help out at CIA:
"In a highly unorthodox move, the White House disclosed the plan shortly after President Bush's formal announcement of Hayden's nomination in the Oval Office, in hopes of reassuring those worried about too much military influence over the intelligence community.
Under the plan, Vice Adm. Albert M. Calland III would be replaced as deputy director by retired CIA official Stephen R. Kappes, who quit in November 2004 in a dispute with then-Director Porter J. Goss.
The move was seen as a direct repudiation of Goss's leadership and as an olive branch to CIA veterans disaffected by his 18-month tenure, during which many other senior officials followed Kappes out the door. The White House was so eager to get out the news of Kappes's likely appointment that it was announced from the lectern in the briefing room, even though the Senate has not yet confirmed Hayden and Kappes was officially described as "the leading contender" for the job."
There you have it. Kappes will come in as #2. A former Marine officer with over twenty years field and leadership experience with the CIA, Kappes resigned when the Jobber started taking the place apart. So for all of you Chicken Littles out there - chill out. The Kappes is coming back.
Which begs the question: why not make the career guy the top guy? The answer in one word: competence. Kappes has it.
And competence is fine for window-dressing and getting past Senate committees, but when you have a really bad policy decision you need to justify in a hurry before people start to "think about it," you need a guy like General Hayden in charge.
You can count on Hayden to pull on that baby-blue uniform and march his ass down to Congress and tell them any old thing you want told. Kappes - not so much.
This will be a slam-dunk confirmation, too, as the Senate politicos will put on a "we're giving Georgie a hard time" face, but they are all still wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Junta. Sure, Georgie is the least popular and least able American president in history, but that doesn't mean he's not still calling the shots.
When George Mitchell left the Senate, he took the last spine and pair of juevos with him.
The chief failing of CIA during these Dark Ages since the Junta stole power from Americans has been their acquiescence to political command. An agency conceived by the Great Harry Truman to be an independent truth-telling institution was pressured to ignore al Qaeda before 9-11 and then to change their tune about Saddam before the Iraq invasion. In both cases, it was political pressured which skewed the intel to a deadly degree.
But then the same guys who'd put the screws to them and forced their errors turned on poor CIA. The agency was scapegoated over both fiascos, and a 'reform' guy put in charge. Enter the Jobber.
Look: if you want to 'fix' the CIA, make it more independent and less answerable to politicians. If you want to destroy it, make it a political puppet to support bad policy from right-wing extremists and fire anybody who ever voted for a Democrat. Which is exactly what the Jobber did.
Now, for whatever reason, the Jobber got forced out. My guess is that it was his conflicts with new intel head Negroponte more than any bad blood he stirred up at CIA. It could also have been the 'Hookergate' investigation that's been sniffing around the former Congressman.
Either way, Georgie didn't hesitate to bring in his New Jobber, General Michael Hayden. Looking just a little silly with his podgy cheeks and bright blue Air Force General uniform, Hayden is a perfect choice if you want to hand the whole thing over to Rummy. The one traditionally civilian intel arm of the US government will now be led by a general.
And not just any general. This general was the "brains" behind the illegal NSA wiretap scheme. This was the general who argued with a reporter about privacy protections in the Fourth Amendment - and got it wrong. This is a special general indeed.
"But in the heels of the nomination, the White House was quick to indicate that an old hand was being brought back to help out at CIA:
"In a highly unorthodox move, the White House disclosed the plan shortly after President Bush's formal announcement of Hayden's nomination in the Oval Office, in hopes of reassuring those worried about too much military influence over the intelligence community.
Under the plan, Vice Adm. Albert M. Calland III would be replaced as deputy director by retired CIA official Stephen R. Kappes, who quit in November 2004 in a dispute with then-Director Porter J. Goss.
The move was seen as a direct repudiation of Goss's leadership and as an olive branch to CIA veterans disaffected by his 18-month tenure, during which many other senior officials followed Kappes out the door. The White House was so eager to get out the news of Kappes's likely appointment that it was announced from the lectern in the briefing room, even though the Senate has not yet confirmed Hayden and Kappes was officially described as "the leading contender" for the job."
There you have it. Kappes will come in as #2. A former Marine officer with over twenty years field and leadership experience with the CIA, Kappes resigned when the Jobber started taking the place apart. So for all of you Chicken Littles out there - chill out. The Kappes is coming back.
Which begs the question: why not make the career guy the top guy? The answer in one word: competence. Kappes has it.
And competence is fine for window-dressing and getting past Senate committees, but when you have a really bad policy decision you need to justify in a hurry before people start to "think about it," you need a guy like General Hayden in charge.
You can count on Hayden to pull on that baby-blue uniform and march his ass down to Congress and tell them any old thing you want told. Kappes - not so much.
This will be a slam-dunk confirmation, too, as the Senate politicos will put on a "we're giving Georgie a hard time" face, but they are all still wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Junta. Sure, Georgie is the least popular and least able American president in history, but that doesn't mean he's not still calling the shots.
When George Mitchell left the Senate, he took the last spine and pair of juevos with him.
posted by fiduciary at 8:21 AM
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