Will wonders never cease...there are Republicans and Democrats, alike, who don't like the idea of General Hayden at the helm of the CIA.
A leading Republican came out against the front-runner for
CIA director, Gen. Michael Hayden, saying Sunday the spy agency should not have military leadership during a turbulent time among intelligence agencies.
Members of the Senate committee that would consider President Bush's nominee also expressed reservations, saying the CIA is a civilian agency and putting Hayden atop it would concentrate too much power in the military for intelligence matters.
Despite a distinguished career at the Defense Department, Hayden would be "the wrong person, the wrong place at the wrong time," said the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich.
"There is ongoing tensions between this premier civilian intelligence agency and DOD as we speak," Hoekstra said. "And I think putting a general in charge -- regardless of how good Mike is -- ...is going to send the wrong signal through the agency here in Washington but also to our agents in the field around the world," he told "Fox News Sunday."
If Hayden were to get the nomination, military officers would run the major spy agencies in the United States, from the ultra-secret National Security Agency to the Defense Intelligence Agency.
The Pentagon already controls more than 80 percent of the intelligence budget.
"You can't have the military control most of the major aspects of intelligence," said Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, who is on the Senate Intelligence Committee. The CIA "is a civilian agency and is meant to be a civilian agency," she said on ABC's "This Week."
A second committee member, GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, added, "I think the fact that he is a part of the military today would be the major problem."
Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., mentioned fears the CIA would "just be gobbled up by the Defense Department" if Hayden were to take over.
That's my fear, as well.
The article failed to mention something about Dianne Feinstein though, and John from AmericaBlog picked it up because he's good about these things:
See, we need a Republican to do what Diane Feinstein couldn't do. Yes, DiFi mentioned the issue of having a military guy running a civilian agency, but she basically came out in favor of his nomination.
Ah, reaffirming the notion that there are some Democrats out there who are even worse than their counterparts.
Tags: [Peter Hoekstra], [Joe Biden], [Dianne Feinstein], [Saxby Chambliss], [Michael Hayden], [Hayden as Goss' successor to CIA], [no military leaders heading a civilian agency]
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