Porter Goss Takes Charge (Hayes column on CIA leaks and real intelligence reform)

Weekly Standard ^ | 11/23/04 | Stephen Hayes

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Porter's House
From the November 29, 2004 issue: CIA Director Porter Goss takes charge.
by Stephen F. Hayes
11/29/2004, Volume 010, Issue 11


ON FRIDAY, November 5, 2004, Patrick Murray had a blunt warning for a top career official in the CIA's clandestine service: No more leaks. Murray, who has a reputation as a no-nonsense manager, had come to the agency from Capitol Hill as a top aide to Porter Goss, the former chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence who took over as CIA director in late September.

For months leading up to the election, elements within the CIA had leaked information damaging to the reelection prospects of George W. Bush. Some of the leaks were authorized, some were not. Michael Scheuer, head of the CIA's bin Laden unit from 1996 to 1999 who recently quit the agency in order to be free to criticize the intelligence community, said that CIA higher-ups had given him permission to speak to the media anonymously to "bash the president." Authorized or not, the result of the steady flow of leaks was the same. Bush was portrayed as incompetent and his policies disastrous. CIA-friendly reporters, eager to keep their sources happy, stuck to the agency line.

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This is an excellent description of the real story behind so-called turmoil at CIA. Porter Goss has made it clear he wants to "stop the leaks". Hayes gives the story behind Kappes resignation, and others. The house is getting cleaned.

[joesnuffy]

That is certainly one possibility
imo

[bereanway]

Encouraging article. A house cleaning at CIA is long overdue given the series of intelligence failures that have occurred over the past couple decades.

Godspeed to Porter Goss, this can't happen quickly enough.

[macbee]

Having been in the middle of a major business reorg and turnaround many years ago, I read the reports of "score settling" in the CIA with some skepticism. Those were the sort of messages which the entrenched interests spread around as the new team made the necessary changes (including firing or reassigning a number of bad actors.) The vast majority of us front-liners were relieved that someone was finally "cleaning the stables".

[wizardoz]

Go Goss!
You're the boss.
Clean house!
Kill the mouse!
I mean, the rat.
(But what rhymes with that?)

[Redbob]

"CIA-friendly reporters, eager to keep their sources happy, stuck to the agency line."

A little re-write is called for:
"Bush-hating reporters, eager to please the Dimnocrats, stuck to the Party line."

There; fixed!

[HawaiianGecko]

ping

[MizSterious]

A bit more on this very encouraging development. Goss was a perfect choide for this position!

[cyncooper]

Excellent. And I was pleased to read this (I figured as much and told some Kappes defender the other day, if the employees don't support these changes, then IMO they are part of the problem):

These changes are long overdue. And though you wouldn't know it from recent media coverage, many CIA officials support them.

Very good.

[Gritty]

Go get 'em, Porter!!