By any reasonable standard, Porter Goss was an awful, almost embarrassing, choice to be the director of the CIA. His limited tenure was, as Spencer Ackerman noted, marred by the near-total collapse of the agency, as Goss helped turn it into little more than an appendage of the White House. Worse, Goss drove the CIA’s most experienced and capable officials out. Today, some of his allies suggested he was “in over his head” from the start.
So, who’s replacing him? Someone who may be worse.
Gen. Michael V. Hayden, who senior administration officials said Friday was the likely choice of President Bush to head the Central Intelligence Agency, has a stellar résumé for a spy and has long been admired at the White House and on Capitol Hill.
But General Hayden, the principal deputy director of national intelligence, would also face serious questions about the controversy over the National Security Agency’s domestic surveillance program, which he oversaw and has vigorously defended.
Serious questions, indeed. Hayden appears to have misled Congress about warrantless searches, has fundamental misunderstandings of the 4th Amendment (despite claiming to be an expert), and who wouldn’t respond to questions about whether domestic NSA spying might target political opponents or journalists.
The WaPo reported today, “Members of Congress privately predicted that Hayden, who once enjoyed tremendous support on the Hill, would face a contentious confirmation process over the Bush administration’s domestic spying program.” I think that’s quite an understatement. If Hayden is nominated — and, at this point, it seems likely — congressional Dems would be crazy not to take full advantage of the opportunity.