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CIA Director Michael V. Hayden yesterday named Michael J. Sulick to head the National Clandestine Service, bringing back to government service a veteran covert operator who left almost three years ago after a confrontation with aides to Hayden's predecessor, former congressman Porter J. Goss (R-Fla.). In announcing the appointment, Hayden described Sulick as "a familiar figure to many of you" and "a seasoned operations officer" who "earned a reputation for superior tradecraft and sound judgment." In November 2004, Stephen R. Kappes, then CIA deputy director of operations, the top spy position, and Sulick, then his deputy, became involved in a...

One former CIA official told NEWSWEEK that [Porter Goss' aide]Murray leaned on him more than once to declassify information so he could use it to "embarrass the Democrats." Murray was irritated when the agency declined.

An old CIA hand, still with the agency, recently told NewsMax to read an article by Stephen Hayes for the Weekly Standard. Story Continues Below This story, our friend said, explains what is going on at the CIA. The agency's new director, Porter Goss, has stirred up a hornets' nest - make that a vipers' nest - at the nation's chief intelligence agency. For starters he has dared to take steps to plug the flood of leaks gushing out of the company's headquarters in Langley, Va. We figured Goss must have been doing something good when the main recipients of...

Top Two Officials at CIA Service Quit 28 minutes ago By KATHERINE PFLEGER SHRADER, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - The top two officials in the CIA (news - web sites)'s clandestine service have resigned amid turmoil among the leadership at the nation's spy service, according to intelligence officials. The CIA's Deputy Director for Operations Stephen Kappes and his immediate deputy, Michael Sulick, said they are leaving the agency, said the officials who spoke Monday on condition of anonymity because the resignations had not yet been announced. Both men were part of the CIA's Directorate of Operations, or clandestine service, which...

The nation's new spy chief's management style is alienating some career intelligence officers, and the tensions threaten to impede rebuilding the nation's spying capabilities, current and former intelligence officials say. Two months after taking over the Central Intelligence Agency, Porter Goss, a former Republican congressman, is perceived as a distant figure who has given wide latitude in running the agency to several aides he brought from Capitol Hill. These aides, led by Goss chief of staff Patrick Murray, have clashed with senior and mid-level managers whose support has long been considered vital for a director to gain control of the...