The Fix-It Man Leaves, but The Agency's Cracks Remain [Dana Priest's "analysis"]

Take this with a grain of salt since most of the article quoted the liar and kook, Larry Johnson (former CIA spook)...

Per Drudge:

PAPER: CIA CHIEF TIED TO CONTRACTOR'S POKER PARTIES; HINTS OF BRIBES AND WOMEN

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/415304p-350961c.html

Sweet, good catch. I'll send you the counterinfo they plan on using.

Will leave links in case you miss something... I doubt it though. Excellent job btw.

You have a little guac stuck in your eyebrows from last night, dear....

anyway, State and CIA need an overhaul. I subscribe to the idea of a shadow govt. operating in the back ground (Clintonistas).

I'd like to see Dick Cheney "step" down and manage CIA with some one like Newt move into the VP role and get the Congress disciplined.

Check your mail.

Question

Was it Negroponte who thought the 48,000 boxes of documents found in Iraq weren't important and that is why they weren't released till the President gave the order?

Was it Negroponte who thought the 48,000 boxes of documents found in Iraq weren't important and that is why they weren't released till the President gave the order?

YES!

Very objective article at your link. I'm being sarcastic, of course. There's a somewhat pathetic element to all that whining.

One interesting tidbit:

still others (former CIA) are flocking to the new office of the director of national intelligence, led by Negroponte

It may very well be that Goss' departure was accelerated by a conflict with Negroponte (an idea first floated by Time Mag), but that really doesn't change the basic picture.

One thing I've noticed about those who've worked for the Agency, on both sides of the political divide, is a fierce loyalty and belief that the CIA Director should be the king of intel. Goss, like his predecessors, may have clung to that hope, even while housecleaning.

From Macsmind:

Misson Accomplished II

Let's continue the thread from here. As I expected the "speculation" swirls about Goss and why he resigned. Again, for no other reason but mission accompished. He did what he came to do. Today over eggs and coffee I got some early comedy (it's good to have a laugh in the morning) from this story today in the WAPO written by who else by Pinko Pincus, Dana Priest, Jim VandeHei, Dafna Linzer.

(sounds like a Plame Game screen writers convention).

Those the entire piece is tripe and crap and a attempt to throw the "scent" elsewhere, I found these excerpts especially amusing.

"Porter J. Goss was forced to step down yesterday as CIA director, ending a turbulent 18-month tenure marked by an exodus of some of the agency's top talent and growing White House dissatisfaction with his leadership during a time of war.

The likely successor to Goss is Gen. Michael V. Hayden, the former director of the National Security Agency and now deputy to Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte, senior administration officials said. He could be named as soon as Monday.

Seated next to President Bush in the Oval Office, Goss, a Republican congressman from Florida before he took over the CIA, said he was "stepping aside" but gave no reason for the departure. Bush, who did not name a successor, said he had accepted the resignation and thanked Goss for his service.

"Porter's tenure at the CIA was one of transition, where he's helped this agency become integrated into . . . the intelligence community," Bush said. "That was a tough job, and he's led ably." Bush said he had developed a "very close personal relationship" with Goss, who succeeded George J. Tenet in September 2004.

But senior administration officials said Bush had lost confidence in Goss, 67, almost from the beginning and decided months ago to replace him. In what was described as a difficult meeting in April with Negroponte, Goss was told to prepare to leave by May, according to several officials with knowledge of the conversation."

Forget the "forced". Again, the President of the United States isn't going to appear in a photo op with someone who is being forced to resigned. The reason, again, "An 18-month tenure marked by an exodus of some of the agency's top talent". Further down in the article: "Over Goss's 18 months, more than a dozen senior officials -- several of whom were promoted under Goss -- resigned, retired early or requested reassignment. Robert Richer, who was head of the Near East division, served less than a year as the No. 2 official in the clandestine service before quitting in frustration over Goss's leadership last November. Richer then spent several days privately sharing his concerns with senior congressional leaders and Negroponte.

In the clandestine service alone, Goss lost one director, two deputy directors and at least a dozen department heads, station chiefs and division directors, many with the key language skills and experience he has said the agency needs. The agency is on its third counterterrorism chief since Goss arrived."

Yeah....top leakers and malcontents, all of Priest's and Pincus's best sources. Dana Priest can't resist her own byline in a followup story. Spy master "1" actually starts off with the truth.

"Porter J. Goss was brought into the CIA to quell what the White House viewed as a partisan insurgency against the administration and to re-energize a spy service that failed to prevent the Sept. 11 attacks or accurately assess Iraq's weapons capability.

In otherwords - he cleaned house. All the rest of her article is crap. Yeah "mass exodus" of worms, dust-mites, cockroaches and all the other stuff a good broom catches in it's wake. Goss didn't come in to be a "uniter", or necessarily a "divider" but specifically to be a "Fox among the chickens" and "stir things up".

He did. Under his tenure things did get stired up and the rogues who saw the light at the end of the tunnel and realized it was the "Goss Express" did what rats do. They vacate. But his stirring up did get a major result accomplished.

Point of clarity that will be coming out in the days and weeks to come, Mary (Loose Lips) McCarthy wasn't just "a" leaker - she was in fact the Queen Bee leaker from which all the little worker bees delivered their 'honey'.

So do you get it now? Goss killed the Queen - mission accompished. By the way, while Priest laments on an "agency in turmoil", I actually hear that far more in the agency are happy that Goss came to town and killed off the hive.

"I liked his leadership. .....The tired lifers that couldn't keep their puss off a phone receiver to the media.....we're a intelligence agency, not the Democratic National Committee...."

All this mudslinging on Goss is to be expected. He will be dragged through the mud and made to look like a thug and a malcontent and it's "good riddance". But again more of the real thugs and malcontents cannot contain themselves from taking a swipe:

"Regrettably, Porter Goss's tenure as director of the CIA was a tumultuous one," said Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (W.Va.), senior Democrat on the intelligence panel. "We must have a leader with strong credentials, a demonstrated track record of independence and objectivity, and the ability to bring much needed harmony within the ranks."

Yeah one that preferably will stop working with the DOJ to give you a new home buddy.

To that point you are going to be sorely disappointed.

But what now? Well back to the WAPO it's General Mike Hayden, the Deputy to Negroponte, and Fox is well according to confirmingthat as well.

"The leading candidate to replace him is Air Force General Michael Hayden, top deputy to National Intelligence Director John Negroponte, said a senior administration official. An announcement could come as early as Monday.

Hayden was National Security Agency director until becoming the nation's No. 2 intelligence official a year ago. Since December, he has aggressively defended the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance program. He was one of its chief architects."

Of course the article states this selection should be fun:

"With a Hayden nomination, Democrats would be sure to seize on his intimate connection to Bush's anti-terrorist surveillance program, which has drawn the ire of even some Republicans."

"Hayden was National Security Agency director until becoming the nation's No. 2 intelligence official a year ago. Since December, he has aggressively defended the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance program. He was one of its chief archite".

"ire of even some Republicans:

Yeah like Senator Chuck Hagel, Senator Arlen Spector, and the rest of the RINOS.

But in reality what could this mean?

Again, I'm sticking to my guns that everything IC is coming under one rule - Negroponte's office. Again, part of Goss's transitioning of the agency - contrary to other opinions - was to "un-centralize" the Central Intelligence Agency. Need I repeat the mantra?

If Hayden is the man - then mission accomplished - the circle is complete.

Then it will be, in the words of the Fantastic Four's "Thing" ....."Hammering Time".

Bang of a Summer - I told you so

I think you're right - the only officers who have left have been disgruntled holdovers from the Clinton cabal. And .. of course, some of them were forced out.

I don't consider them "very good officers".

Excellent point Mo1... you reminded me of something on a talk show with JRock and Pelosi regarding this (I have to dig).

Here:
(Scroll down for updates)
http://hotair.com/archives/top-picks/2006/05/05/breaking-porter-goss-resigns-as-dci/

The dark side is busy on Technorati and Memeorandum... will post counters to look for later. For now, they're branding about Hayden's disregard for unreasonable searches and wiretap crap. All the obvious shills were the first to come out... leak accomplices and VIPs.

Excellent point Mo1... you reminded me of something on a talk show with JRock and Pelosi regarding this (I have to dig).

Thanks for the confirmation

Now another question ..

weren't there others that got snagged up in the lie detector test besides Mary McCarthy .. though their names were never released??

Good blog, that. Thanks

"But senior administration officials said Bush had lost confidence in Goss, 67, almost from the beginning and decided months ago to replace him."

Obvious B/S.

""Regrettably, Porter Goss's tenure as director of the CIA was a tumultuous one," said Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (W.Va.), senior Democrat on the intelligence panel."

Just one of many that should be jailed.

One is not given the directorship of an organization such as the CIA with A) Only 10 years of total service, and B) After a 19 year absence.

It is plain and simple what "services" Porter Goss was hired to do.

Interesting blog

Do ya think some in the CIA decided to go after Goss because of his cleaning house?

Thanks for the ping and the nice compliment.I probably don't deserve it, but it's nice to "hear".LOL! ;)

I'm out the door for a while but ran across this.Don't know if it's been posted, but the charts are damning.

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/dana-priest-dances-on-gosss-grave/

(Scroll down, I'll check back later today)

Woops! Try this:

http://www.sweetness-light.com/archive/dana-priest-dances-on-gosss-grave/

" ... It may very well be that Goss' departure was accelerated by a conflict with Negroponte (an idea first floated by Time Mag), but that really doesn't change the basic picture."

Personally, I doubt that very much. It would have been all over the MSM.

The fact that this came about with no "notice", to the buffoons that call themselves journalists, is telling. That is why they (the press) are trying to make it out to be a sudden event over a supposed conflict.

The reading I have done on the "company" suggests that the most feared aspect of agents is their being "turned". The second apparent problem seems to be the agents (not those the agent recruits) and those they report to, get their shorts in a wad when the elected officials (ie: President, etc.) do not take the actions that they suggest should be taken.

The field agents job is to collect information, pass it on to their superiors, who then consider the meaning and value [?] and advise the proper elected officials of that information. They are notorious for getting personally insulted, should their advise as to the course of action, or inaction (which is not warranted, and not part of their job) is not be heeded. In fact they have a damn hard time separating their actual job duties from that which they think they should be doing.

JMHO

One excellent source on this appears to be "Intelligence Wars", by Thomas Powers.

I wonder how much "pre-9//11" intelligence that some of the foreign intelligence agencies might have gotten from Tenet???

It doesn't take the whole CIA against the Bush Administration to wreck havoc....only a small cabal will do...and they have, IMHO>.

Besides, I think the Post should take Priest OFF the CIA beat, if they aren't going to fire her...over the Mary McCarthy thing...

If not...then the White House needs to take away her credentials to cover that beat, IMHO>

I find it difficult to believe a word Dana Priest says.
Her associations, as they have recently come to light, have destroyed her credibility.
I just can't trust her.

They are notorious for getting personally insulted, should their advise as to the course of action, or inaction (which is not warranted, and not part of their job) is not be heeded.

Well, all those years of inaction regarding terrorism, except for a few long-distance missiles, had to create something of a gold standard at the CIA. Ossified opinions couldn't adapt, apparently.

An example, in Ms. McCarthy's case, from the NY Times:

Some former intelligence officials who worked with Ms. McCarthy saw her as a persistent obstacle to aggressive antiterrorism efforts. "She was always of the view that she would rather not get her hands dirty with covert action," said Michael Scheuer, a former C.I.A. official.

Scheuer himself might also be indulging in the ol' post-9/11 CYA routine re "agressive action," of course.

Which kind of begs the question: just how many really "covert" operatives does the CIA have, after years of evisceration? If the Plame hype is to be believed, she was covert (or super-secretly formerly covert) while reporting to Langley every day. Clever.

FWIW, CBS is now picking up on the Time theme: Goss/Negroponte conflict! Negroponte's the next evil bogeyman, I guess. I think he can handle it, though.