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A Domestic CIA (We need a spy agency that operates inside the U.S.)
Wall Street Journal ^ | May 15, 2006 | RICHARD A. POSNER

Posted on 05/15/2006 11:14:31 AM PDT by RWR8189

Assuming that Michael Hayden is confirmed as CIA director, the agency will be in strong hands--especially if, as rumored, Stephen Kappes is appointed his deputy. General Hayden is the nation's senior intelligence officer (his current boss, John Negroponte, the director of national intelligence, is a career diplomat rather than an intelligence professional). Mr. Kappes, a former director of the operations (human intelligence) division of the CIA, is highly respected throughout the intelligence community. These appointments will not "recenter" the beleaguered Central Intelligence Agency, which is being squeezed from three sides: The Defense Department, the FBI and the director of national intelligence are all encroaching on functions once securely within the CIA's domain. But with luck, Messrs. Hayden and Kappes can prevent a further erosion of the agency's standing, restore morale and take care that the CIA performs its core functions competently.

The picture may be brightening as far as foreign intelligence is concerned, but it remains dark with respect to domestic intelligence. In my forthcoming book, I explain why burying our principal assets for detecting terrorist plots that unfold within the U.S. in a criminal-investigation agency--the FBI--is unsound. We are the only major country that does this. The U.K.'s domestic intelligence agency, MI5, works closely with Scotland Yard, Britain's counterpart to the FBI. But it is not part of Scotland Yard.

The British understand that a criminal-investigation culture and an intelligence culture don't mix. A crime occurs at a definite time and place, enabling a focused investigation likely to culminate in an arrest and conviction. Intelligence seeks to identify enemies and their plans before any crime occurs. It searches for terrorist sleeper cells in the U.S. with no assurance of finding any. Hunting needles in a haystack is uncongenial work for FBI special agents. And so at the same time

(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: cia; domesticspying; fbi; hayden; intelligence; mi5; nsa; spyagency
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1 posted on 05/15/2006 11:14:33 AM PDT by RWR8189
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To: RWR8189

Is it to be assumed that there are no people (citizens or other) inside our nation plotting against us? Either we trust our Government or we don't. Our enemies use any distrust against us.


2 posted on 05/15/2006 11:18:26 AM PDT by Ben Mugged (If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you are reading it in English, thank a soldier.)
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To: RWR8189

I thought that was called the FBI?


3 posted on 05/15/2006 11:18:45 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (Democrats = The Culture of Treason)
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To: EQAndyBuzz

That's exactly what I was going to say.


4 posted on 05/15/2006 11:20:04 AM PDT by puppypusher
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To: RWR8189
IF you happen to stay abreast of this development, would you please ping me for any future articles that relate to this?

Thank you,
BR
5 posted on 05/15/2006 11:23:35 AM PDT by bayouranger (The 1st victim of islam is the person who practices the lie.)
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To: RWR8189

We have one. Its called the FBI.


6 posted on 05/15/2006 11:23:38 AM PDT by Little Ray (I'm a reactionary, hirsute, gun-owning, knuckle dragging, Christian Neanderthal and proud of it!)
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To: EQAndyBuzz
THe FBI is criminal investigative and as such, very reactive. What the CIA and other Intel agencies are is proactive pre-operational gathering.

Huge difference in mindset and functional capabilities.
7 posted on 05/15/2006 11:24:05 AM PDT by roaddog727 (eludium PU36 explosive space modulator)
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To: EQAndyBuzz
I thought that was called the FBI?

I thought it was called the DNC.
8 posted on 05/15/2006 11:25:11 AM PDT by P-40
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To: P-40
I thought it was called CTU?

Oops, sorry, that's Hollywood.
9 posted on 05/15/2006 11:28:21 AM PDT by Oh Brother
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To: RWR8189
I've lost track of Richard Posner as a pundit. If he is a good guy who usually has good ideas, then I will apologize in advance. Now ...

This strikes me as a Chuck Rangel -- "Let's bring back the draft" idea. That was proposed by someone who hated the idea, for the purpose of beating Republicans over the head with it as soon as anyone was dumb enough to say "Chuck may be right".

With all the bad publicity Bush is getting right now, I think the last thing he wants to say is "I want a new agency -- one which is totally focused on spying on Americans!"

As others have said, we have the FBI. We don't need this.

10 posted on 05/15/2006 11:33:25 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (Never question Bruce Dickinson!)
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To: Ben Mugged

I have a pretty good hunch that this is happening already, and I'm not so keen on this idea. If the CIA is unleashed and allowed to spy at home, where are the controls, who is going to rein these guys in? I just do not trust the govt, and I really don't care who it is, Republican or Democrat, this is just too damn open for abuse. Look at the rouge elements in the CIA already, they are doing their best to thwart the President every time he makes a move. This is gonna be bad juju.


11 posted on 05/15/2006 11:33:39 AM PDT by sean327 (God created all men equal, then some become Marines!)
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To: RWR8189

CTU!

We need something like the CTU, anyway. And Jack Bauer. Several thousand of him.


12 posted on 05/15/2006 11:39:26 AM PDT by TeenagedConservative
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To: RWR8189
We need a spy agency that operates inside the U.S.

We already have a bunch of spy agencies operating inside the U.S.

None of them work for us.
13 posted on 05/15/2006 11:40:24 AM PDT by Thrusher ("...there is no peace without victory.")
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To: ClearCase_guy
I'm pretty sure that Gerald Ford reinforced the separation of the CIA from operating in America. And rightly so, in my opinion.
14 posted on 05/15/2006 11:42:10 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Never a minigun handy when you need one.)
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To: RWR8189
A Domestic CIA (We need a spy agency that operates inside the U.S.)

That spys on whom?

15 posted on 05/15/2006 11:42:49 AM PDT by WhiteGuy ("Every Generation needs a new revolution" - Jefferson)
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To: EQAndyBuzz
I thought that was called the FBI?

Me too.

16 posted on 05/15/2006 11:43:29 AM PDT by A. Pole (Hush Bimbo: "Low wage is good for you!")
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To: Ben Mugged
Either we trust our Government or we don't.


17 posted on 05/15/2006 11:44:52 AM PDT by Doctor Stochastic (Vegetabilisch = chaotisch ist der Charakter der Modernen. - Friedrich Schlegel)
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To: WhiteGuy
That spys on whom?

Whomever President Rodham shall deem a threat.

18 posted on 05/15/2006 11:45:49 AM PDT by Doctor Stochastic (Vegetabilisch = chaotisch ist der Charakter der Modernen. - Friedrich Schlegel)
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To: RWR8189
Given that we wouldn't expel the 9/11 attackers and have let thousands of undocumented people here the hardline Muslim countries, it seems futile to start another spy agency when what we need is enforcement.

Expel the citizens of the hostile countries. Expel the illegals of all stripes.

Hiring more people to spy on the general population will be useless if you don't address the real problem.
19 posted on 05/15/2006 11:49:35 AM PDT by George W. Bush
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To: Doctor Stochastic

This is why we need to teach more history in schools. Very few people remember the Church committee hearings and the many good reasons why the CIA is prohibited from operating inside the US.


20 posted on 05/15/2006 12:01:22 PM PDT by FreeInWV
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