CIA Director Resigns

[fent]

this is on the top of Drudge

President Bush has scheduled a personnel announcement for 1:45 p.m. EDT... Developing...

i haven't heard of any rumors, so this could either be major news or absolutely nothing.

[CNYSkinFan]

Stephen Colbert hired as new communications director.

[fent]

and the winner is...Porter Goss has resigned. asian hookers?

[Spence]

What did I tell you? We'll see if this is another Claude Allen situation. Goss wasn't at CIA very long. Interesting that he should resign now, just as the Duke is beginning to cooperate with the feds on the hooker story. Hmmmm.

[Spence]

Then there is this:he infamous Watergate Hotel is again at the center of political intrigue.

"We have received subpoenas for documents," says Watergate Hotel Assistant General Manager Josh Graham. "We have complied, but I cannot confirm names of individuals or companies that were part of those subpoenas."

FBI agents are investigating what happened in the hotel's posh suites, which defense contractor Brent Wilkes turned into party suites for politicians and CIA officers. There was poker and cigars, and the FBI wants to know if there were prostitutes, too.
...
It's all part of a growing ongoing investigation into corruption in defense and intelligence contracts, which already has sent former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham to prison and, legal sources say, may threaten others in Congress and the CIA.
...
At the center of the investigation is defense contractor Wilkes, a lifelong friend of the No. 3 official at the CIA, Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, who's in charge of agency contracts. Foggo acknowledges attending some of Wilkes' poker games but denies there were any prostitutes.

The CIA is now investigating whether Foggo improperly helped Wilkes get a $2.4 million contract. Foggo denies any wrongdoing.
...
Sources close to the investigation say a former associate of Wilkes has told prosecutors that Wilkes provided prostitutes to Cunningham. That associate has pleaded guilty in a related case and is cooperating with prosecutors in a bid for a lesser sentence. Wilkes strongly denies any involvement with prostitution. Cunningham's lawyer had no comment.
...
But Cunningham is now cooperating with the FBI, raising the stakes for former partners and colleagues.Source (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12634250)

[CNYSkinFan]

If this is true then the fall out will be enormous. Congressional members running for re-election will harken back to the good old days of the Katrina aftermath compared to the turmoil the next few months will be.

Man this administration never ceases to amaze me. i know there are fine qualified Republicans out there that can do amazing work in government. Why can't they hire one person, just one, who is actually about the work at hand as opposed to the power it brings.

[RedskinsDave]

Guilty until proven innocent. I missed when we all moved to Spain.

[Spence]

Guilty until proven innocent. I missed when we all moved to Spain.Dave, you've had plenty of fun with Patrick Kennedy and I haven't seen a jury issue a verdict on him. [And why Spain?] The way I see it, there are two possible explanations for Goss' resignation:

1] He fears revelations in the Duke/Watergate hookers investigation;
2] He got into a bureaucratic knife-fight with John Negroponte and Goss got his goolies cut off and handed to him a paper bag.

And just for the record, the first person to mention hookers was Fent.

[RedskinsDave]

Well Tom this was Dustin's comment that brought mine:

Man this administration never ceases to amaze me. i know there are fine qualified Republicans out there that can do amazing work in government. Why can't they hire one person, just one, who is actually about the work at hand as opposed to the power it brings.

Tell me that doesn't look like someone is jumping the gun on this whole thing.

I am still waiting to see why hetero hookers will get you investigated yet gay ones do not. I yield the floor to the Congressperson from Massachusetts.

[Spence]

I am still waiting to see why hetero hookers will get you investigated yet gay ones do not. I yield the floor to the Congressperson from Massachusetts.Dave, that's a number of times now you've brought up the gay prostitute and Barney Frank. You seem to have a keen interest in the story. Unfortunately, you don't appear to have a corresponding level of information about it. Permit me to fill in the blanks.

There WAS in investigation into Barney Frank and the gay prostitute Frank hired in 1985 to live and work with him. It was Congressman Frank himself who requested the investigation. Frank fired Gobie in 1987 when it Frank learned Gobie was involved in a gay prostitution ring. At that point, nothing was known to the public. The story became public late in August 1989 in The Washington Times. From the August 29, 1989 edition of the New York Times:Representative Barney Frank today asked the House ethics committee to investigate his relationship with a male prostitute who operated from the Congressman's town house on Capitol Hill.

Mr. Frank, a leading liberal in the House, made the request in a letter to Representative Julian C. Dixon, a California Democrat who is chairman of the ethics committee. Mr. Frank, a Democrat from Massachusetts, noted in the letter that he had already ''expressed regret for the mistaken judgment involved,'' but wanted the committee to investigate ''in order to insure that the public record is clear.''

The request from Mr. Frank, one of two acknowledged homosexuals in the House, spared his Democratic colleagues a hard political decision as Republicans stepped up their calls for an investigation and said Democrats should join them in seeking it.

''It is both the right thing to do and a smart political move,'' John Buckley, spokesman for the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, said of Mr. Frank's request.
On July 19, 1990, the ethics committee recommended Frank be reprimanded because he "reflected discredit upon the House." The vote to reprimand Frank passed by a vote of 408-18. Less than four months later, Congressman Frank was re-elected with 66 percent of the vote.

Okay, now that we've dispensed with that part, let's move on to the current news. Porter Goss is not being investigated. At least, not yet. An investigation is ongoing into possible favors done by members of Congress for people with business before the House of Representatives. Allegations have been made that, among other things, hookers were used to induce members of Congress to bias their view of certain legislation or possible legislation. So far, most of the chatter about involvement at the CIA has swirled around a man named Foggo, Goss' #3 at the CIA and a close associate of Goss. [Expect to see Foggo leaving some time soon, too.] The rumors about possible involvement by Goss and Foggo are coming mostly from people who are talking to the feds, telling journalists what they claim to have seen and what they say they have told the investigating officers. So far, that's where we are on that.

[RedskinsDave]

Well it didn't get him fired or forced to resign. I think we can admit that is a glaring difference.

We will see what comes of the Goss resignation. W may want to bring his dad back to set that place straight again.

[Spence]

Well Tom this was Dustin's comment that brought mine:



Tell me that doesn't look like someone is jumping the gun on this whole thing.A lot of people are talking about this. Former Georgia Republican Congressman Bob Barr brought the subject up on CNN. Over on Fox, Bill Kristol said that "rumors" have been swirling about Goss for some time, and suggested "there was some sudden thing that emerged in the past few days" leading to this. "I think it will be something not good for the Bush administration, quite frankly, that caused Porter Goss to leave." Okay, that's Bill Kristol.

Nobody is convicting Goss of anything yet. In the end, nothing may be proven at all. However, it isn't just liberals who are talking about this. I don't know what Fent is hearing, but I find it impossible to believe that no Republicans he knows on the Hill are discussing it. The people I talk to say it is a hot topic of conversation on the Hill right now.

The fact is, this IS weird. Why did Goss leave now? Neither Goss or President Bush gave a reason. They didn't even use the ol' "wants to spend more time with his family" routine. It is rare for someone like Goss to resign when nothing has been done to find a replacement. And the whole thing was announced on Friday afternoon, typically the day administrations release bad news in the hope that no one will notice it over the weekend and the whole thing will die down by Monday.

Of course, none of this is anything like proof. But a lot of people are talking about this and it isn't just Democrats.

[Spence]

Well it didn't get him fired or forced to resign. I think we can admit that is a glaring difference.You said there was no investigation into Frank. There was. Frank asked for it. And no, it didn't get him fired. The way to fire a member of Congress is in an election and the people of Mr Frank's district had their chance to do it that year. Instead, they rehired him with 66% of the vote. He's gotten higher percentages than that in every election since. The glaring difference is that Frank is an elected official and Goss is/was an appointee. The standards are different. If Mr Bush thought Goss was being treated unfairly he could have refused the resignation and urged Goss to stick around. Instead, Bush accepted the resignation pretty quickly.

We will see what comes of the Goss resignation. W may want to bring his dad back to set that place straight again.Funny you should mention that. The TV talking heads were speculating about the qualifications for a successor. My immediate thought was that the administration would go for someone politically reliable and with a demonstrated loyalty to the Bush family. After this Iraq business, though, I'm not sure W considers his father politically reliable. ;)

[CNYSkinFan]

Well Tom this was Dustin's comment that brought mine:



Tell me that doesn't look like someone is jumping the gun on this whole thing.

I am still waiting to see why hetero hookers will get you investigated yet gay ones do not. I yield the floor to the Congressperson from Massachusetts.

Funny I thought I was actually being fair and balancedby sayign that I know there are competent republicans out there that can do the job. Dave this is now three diferent CIA heads during Bush's administration. And take away the hookers, George Tenant screwed the pooch on Iraq WMDs, Goss was criticized widely for politicizing the CIA office, all the while the administration is under investigation for outing a CIA operative in retaliation for what her husband said.

So geee I guess I am out of line to think this is more then Goss wanting to spend more time with his family.

[LATrueRedskin]

I also find it extremely odd that Goss suddenly resigned and there was no reason given at all. There's definately something going on here that rushed him out.

[CNYSkinFan]

You said there was no investigation into Frank. There was. Frank asked for it. And no, it didn't get him fired. The way to fire a member of Congress is in an election and the people of Mr Frank's district had their chance to do it that year. Instead, they rehired him with 66% of the vote. He's gotten higher percentages than that in every election since. The glaring difference is that Frank is an elected official and Goss is/was an appointee. The standards are different. If Mr Bush thought Goss was being treated unfairly he could have refused the resignation and urged Goss to stick around. Instead, Bush accepted the resignation pretty quickly.

Funny you should mention that. The TV talking heads were speculating about the qualifications for a successor. My immediate thought was that the administration would go for someone politically reliable and with a demonstrated loyalty to the Bush family. After this Iraq business, though, I'm not sure W considers his father politically reliable. ;)

CIA dir is an appointed position with Senate confirmation right? If I remember Porter Goss had a tougher then normal time getting through. After Tenant and Goss the congress will be extremely tough on any nominee. Espescially a republican congress looking to seperate themselves from the Democrats.

[Spence]

CIA dir is an appointed position with Senate confirmation right? If I remember Porter Goss had a tougher then normal time getting through. After Tenant and Goss the congress will be extremely tough on any nominee. Espescially a republican congress looking to seperate themselves from the Democrats.Goss was confirmed pretty easily. There were some loud objections, almost entirely from Democrats. Basically, many Dems thought he was a political hire. Goss spent years in the CIA and worked on the House Intel Cmte, so he was definitely qualified. The complaints were that he'd spent four years carrying political water for Bush in the House and that hiring Goss was a sign of politicization of the intelligence committee. Coming so soon after the revelations about bungled/hyped Iraq WMD intel, the accusations got some airply. In the end, though, the Senate does what it almost always does with former members of Congress who are appointed to something by the president: It confirmed by a good majority.

[RedskinsDave]

Man, if one of the chief apologists/neocons like Kristol is saying that stuff, it can't be good.

[Keino]

Hookers? Whats wrong with that?

Make them legal. Then the US Govt can be the world's biggest Pimp (Don't matter just don't....ahh nevermind....wrong board)

[Spence]

I've been told that Goss isn't personally caught up in the hooker thing, but that his deputy Kyle "Dusty" Foggo is [Goss brought Foggo over to CIA] and that Goss refused a request/command to fire Foggo. Hence the resignation. Makes some sense to me. That might explain why Bush allowed himself to be shown with Goss today. If true, Goss must REALLY like Dusty Foggo.

[Axegrinder]

Does this mean that the terrorist threat level goes up?

[Spence]

The Wall Street Journal has a good scoop:The agency also has been drawn into a federal investigation of bribery that has sent former Rep. Randall "Duke" Cunningham to prison. Just this past week, the CIA confirmed that its third-ranking official, a hand-picked appointee of Mr. Goss, had attended poker games at a hospitality suite set up by a defense contractor implicated in the bribing of former Rep. Cunningham. Friday, people with knowledge of the continuing Cunningham inquiry said the CIA official, Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, is under federal criminal investigation in connection with awarding agency contracts.Source (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114684872312445027.html?mod=politics_first_eleme nt_hs)

[RedskinsDave]

Since when is it illegal to get your pals contracts? That's pretty much all I saw at HHS. I'd love to see some of those folks be taken down.

[VTBob]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/05/06/goss.resignation/index.html

Goss says "its just one of those mysteries" and refused to elaborate on his resignation.

haha, GREAT explanation...

[tommahawk]

Goss was confirmed pretty easily. There were some loud objections, almost entirely from Democrats. Basically, many Dems thought he was a political hire. Goss spent years in the CIA and worked on the House Intel Cmte, so he was definitely qualified. The complaints were that he'd spent four years carrying political water for Bush in the House and that hiring Goss was a sign of politicization of the intelligence committee. Coming so soon after the revelations about bungled/hyped Iraq WMD intel, the accusations got some airply. In the end, though, the Senate does what it almost always does with former members of Congress who are appointed to something by the president: It confirmed by a good majority.

Can I say I told ya so....
http://hailredskins.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=14721&highlight=goss

This was a political appiontment to cover up the way the white house twisted intel to go to Iraq.

[Agrawog]

When is the medal ceremony for this guy? I mean, that is what all outgoing CIA directors get regardless of their performance, right?

I hope it is a tasteful ceremony where he is hailed as another American hero in the battle against terrorism. He deserves it, really.

[CNYSkinFan]

According to Oberman Foggo rose pretty quickly from middle management to the #3 spot in the CIA. Apparently it was all Goss' call with many in the CIA wondering what Foggy did to deserve the high level posting. Who knows mYbe Foggy has sopmething on Goss, maybe they are just good friends. Either way it is not great.

[CNYSkinFan]

Bush Nominates Hayden but apparently faces a fihgt



WASHINGTON - President Bush on Monday chose Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden to lead the embattled Central Intelligence Agency, re-igniting a debate over the domestic surveillance program that the onetime head of the National Security Agency once ran.

Republican and Democratic critics also questioned the wisdom of putting a military officer in charge of the civilian spy agency.

"Mike Hayden is supremely qualified for this position," Bush said in the Oval Office, with Hayden at his side. Without mentioning Hayden's critics or their objections, the president said: "He knows the intelligence community from the ground up."

*******
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she has found Hayden to be "straightforward and willing to share his candid professional judgments — even when they differed" from those of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

"Nevertheless, to send a signal of independence from the Pentagon (http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=Pentagon), General Hayden may want to consider retiring from the Air Force," she said. "That would put to rest questions about whether an active duty military officer should lead the CIA at this time."

Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., had said in advance of the announcement that he would use Hayden's nomination to raise questions about the legality of the domestic surveillance program and did not rule out holding it up until he gets answers. "I'm not going to draw any lines in the sand until I see how the facts evolve," Specter said on Fox.

Rep. Peter Hoekstra R-Mich., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said he was concerned that Hayden's nomination would detract from the real issue of intelligence reform.

"The debate in the Senate may end up being about the terrorist surveillance program and not about the future of the CIA or the intelligence community, which is exactly where the debate needs to be," Hoekstra said on CBS' "The Early Show."

"This is about whether we still have alignment and agreement between the executive branch and Congress as to where intelligence reform needs to go," he said.

Hoekstra's sentiment was echoed by Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, who said that Hayden's military background would be a "major problem," and several Democrats who made the rounds of the Sunday television talk shows. Sen. Joseph Biden (news, bio, voting record), D-Del., said Hayden could leave agents with the impression that the CIA has been "just gobbled up by the Defense Department."



SOURCE (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060508/ap_on_go_pr_wh/white_house_shake_up_10)
Any thoughts on this fellas?

[RedskinsDave]

I prefer there be no ties between the CIA and the DoD.

[akhhorus]

I prefer there be no ties between the CIA and the DoD.

I think the CIA would agree with you. This will just fuel their fears that CIA is going to be merged into DoD eventually.

[Ibleedburgundy]

I don't have a problem with a military guy heading up the CIA as long as he is all business.

[CNYSkinFan]

I think the CIA would agree with you. This will just fuel their fears that CIA is going to be merged into DoD eventually.
And worsen a morale problem that Goss created.

[RedskinsDave]

And worsen a morale problem that Goss created.

That Goss created? LOL, you cannot be serious?

[CNYSkinFan]

That Goss created? LOL, you cannot be serious?
Well it existed before Goss, but Goss' questionable promotion of mid level managers into high ranking positions was, according to many former CIA officers, causing tension among the rank and file.

[akhhorus]

That Goss created? LOL, you cannot be serious?

Goss certainly didn't create it, but he nothing to stem the proverbial bleeding by dumping a ton of respected people in high positions.

[Spence]

The White House thinks the CIA is overrun with liberal Democrats who are hostile to the Bush admin and its foreign policy. No joke. I've spoken with numerous Republicans with close ties to the White House and that's what I've been told repeatedly. Goss was brought in to purge the CIA of all these liberal Democrats who hate President Bush and replace them with loyal, Bush-supporting Republicans.

[CNYSkinFan]

The White House thinks the CIA is overrun with liberal Democrats who are hostile to the Bush admin and its foreign policy. No joke. I've spoken with numerous Republicans with close ties to the White House and that's what I've been told repeatedly. Goss was brought in to purge the CIA of all these liberal Democrats who hate President Bush and replace them with loyal, Bush-supporting Republicans.

Funny when I think of peace loving hippy liberals the CIA never came to mind.

Then again when EVERYONE disagrees with you EVERYONE must be a liberal commie pukehead....You definitely can't be wrong in anyway.

[dukeuch]

I prefer there be no ties between the CIA and the DoD.

I agree one hundred percent. it seems that most of the ex-CIA guys are complaining that, in effect, the agency has been politicized. It used to be that free and open opinions, including dissenting opinions, were encouraged. This is of primary importance for an agency given the CIA's task. If you choose to ignore, or worse, penalize, those who's research and conculsions may be valid and truthful, but don't necessarily support your policies or strategies, you are just inviting disaster. It's sort of like a good lawyer, you want them to figure out a way to make what you want to do legal, but if they end up saying that there is just no way, than you gotta believe them.

Putting a military guy in charge supports the notion of chain of command, follow orders regardless of what you know to be true or untrue. That's the job os soldiers, not analysts.

I mean, isn't the whole point ot gather the info and THEN make a decision?

[RedskinsDave]

Funny when I think of peace loving hippy liberals the CIA never came to mind.

You would be surprised. I have a few friends whose parents work there and they are far from the stereotypical CIA employee. Honestly, I think that has effected the place. Call me old fashioned but I prefer my espionage guys to be conservatives and my human services folks to be liberals.

[CNYSkinFan]

You would be surprised. I have a few friends whose parents work there and they are far from the stereotypical CIA employee. Honestly, I think that has effected the place. Call me old fashioned but I prefer my espionage guys to be conservatives and my human services folks to be liberals.
Are you saying our version of 007 is driving a hydrogen fueled car while investigating nuclear arm proliferation? :)

[dukeuch]

You would be surprised. I have a few friends whose parents work there and they are far from the stereotypical CIA employee. Honestly, I think that has effected the place. Call me old fashioned but I prefer my espionage guys to be conservatives and my human services folks to be liberals.

I think that in an effective CIA, it does not matter if the employees are liberal or conservative, the facts and analysis speak for themselves and policy does not determine the facts. I get a sense that to some degree, that used to be the environment there.

[Spence]

As predicted:After Goss's announcement yesterday, Foggo told colleagues that he will resign next week. Last week, the agency confirmed that Foggo attended private poker games with Wilkes at a Washington hotel.Source (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/05/AR2006050500937_2.html)