Posted on 05/12/2006 5:07:41 AM PDT by IrishMike
Its time for another grueling confirmation battle in Washington, and during an election year you can be sure that no stone will be left unturned into a soapbox. Whether politicians come out for or against General Michael Hayden as new head of the CIA, the only thing we can be sure of is that the trial--I mean, confirmation hearing--will be loud and ugly.
The resignation of Porter Goss seemed like a surprise to many at the time, but not in hindsight. He was appointed to head the CIA in the wake of three spectacular foreign intelligence failures. The CIA failed to anticipate 9/11, failed to notice that Saddam was moving his weapons of mass destruction out of Iraq, and failed to warn us that al-Qaeda, Iraqi criminals and Saddam adherents would work together to create a serious threat to the emerging democratic Iraqi government. After these three strikes, Clinton-appointee George Tenet resigned, and Porter Goss was put in place to change the entrenched reactionary bureaucracy that permeated our premiere spy agency. Unfortunately, his power to do so was soon sapped.
The 9/11 commission demanded a new layer of bureaucracy in the form of an intelligence czar, for which post Bush nominated John Negroponte. This move effectively made Negroponte the boss of Goss, reducing the latters authority. For years, the CIA bureaucracy has been lashing out at Bush by leaking damaging information to the media like a broken sieve, and the leaks only increased. Goss responded by removing some of the entrenched bureaucrats, creating an even more hostile environment in the agency. The last year has seen a lot of tension between Negroponte and Goss as well, finally culminating in the resignation of Goss and the appointment of Hayden.
(Excerpt) Read more at chronwatch.com ...
Additionally:...........
The main attack on Hayden will concern the warrantless surveillance on terrorists, which Hayden spearheaded during his time in the NSA. Democrats seem not to have gotten the message that the public generally supports eavesdropping on terrorists, no matter who theyre talking to. Attacking Hayden over monitoring terrorists conversations without a warrant will seem like protecting terrorists from spying. Hayden and Bush seem almost eager for a chance to defend the NSA terrorist surveillance program in a public forum, which would serve as a warning if Democrats werent so smugly certain theyll win the House and Senate this November.
Let's get back to activism and make sure that our Congresscritters who will be sitting on the trial (LOL) of General Hayden know the following:
Democrats were okay with Eschelon and Carnivore which captured every phone call, every e-mail, every baby monitor (!), every ATM transaction and more, and that program is okay, pre war on terror, but this program isn't okay.
Eschelon and Carnivore information:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1543118/posts?page=1#1
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1542838/posts
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1543318/posts
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=21387
Oops - Clinton's NSA spying program accidentally (ahem) captured a Republican's phone calls.
http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/1553101/posts?page=1
And just for kicks, the Commies insisted on FISA:
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=21453
Flashback: Gore planned to bug America:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1559386/posts
NYT called domestic surveillance a necessity when Clinton was president:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1556815/posts
This is the December 2005 NYT article which says what today's USA Today article says regarding NSA collecting phone numbers.
Clearly, Democrats (and some RINOs) have manufactured their outrage over this already reported on program. LOL
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/24/politics/24spy.html?ei=5090&en=016edb46b79bde83&ex=1293080400&pagewanted=print
Despite the Democrats saying publicly they don't wish to shut down the terrorist surveillance program, 71 of them have filed suit in federal court to do just that:
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/5/12/02558.shtml?s=ic
Hayden nomination as long planned Bush counter-offensive?
http://jewishworldreview.com/0506/jkelly051006.php3
Democrats say they plan to make an issue of the NSA wiretap program during his confirmation hearings. The president and Gen. Hayden seem to welcome that fight. The last time Democrats criticized the program, their poll numbers plummeted.
The key thing to remember is that this is a fight President Bush picked. He chose the time. He chose the ground.
Since the spring of 2003, President Bush has been playing defense against the political fallout generated by intelligence leaks. The Hayden nomination may be the start of a long planned counter-offensive.
They could put God in charge and there would still be intelligence failures.
How true, Judas is an example.
I can't wait for the lefties to demand that the terrorists in our midst deserve the proctection of the ACLU.
Havee you forgotten John Mc RinoCain's al-Qaeda's 'bill of Rights' ????
Sure FDR knew that the Nips Japanese were going to attack Pearl Harbor, but not on December 7th at 7:00 Am.
Sure the Bush administration recieved warnings that the Al-Qaeda nutsos were going to spring terrorist attacks on mainland America, but they didn't know the time, place or method of attack.
As an interesting aside, did you know that the Japs stole the defense plans for Corregidor in 1911 when Arthur MacArthur was Governor General of the Phillipenes and Black Jack Pershing was his military commander? Thirty years before the attack! That's long range planning. (I read this years ago in a Pershing biography.)
So why the heck did you nominate him, eh?
;O)
That's mind boggling.
Hayden is a most impressive man. He will OWN his inquisitors.
Popcorn anyone?
Looks fantastic! You are getting too fancy for the rest of us, lol!
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