CIA Controversies

• NEW: Clash Foreseen Between C.I.A. and Pentagon


• NEW: Experts See a Strategy Behind CIA Shuffle

  "Gen. Michael V. Hayden isn't the first active-duty military officer tapped to lead the CIA -- he is in fact the fifth -- but many intelligence experts and officers have bemoaned the idea of a general leading the agency at a time when the Pentagon is expanding its ability to engage in global spying and man-hunting, traditional realms of the CIA.Despite such qualms, intelligence specialists say Hayden's appointment may turn out to be a clever move by intelligence czar John D. Negroponte to help him assert authority over Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and his burgeoning intelligence bureaucracy. Negroponte, who by law oversees all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, has expressed frustration that he has not made more progress in managing the agencies under the Defense Department's jurisdiction."

• NEW: CIA Official Quits; FBI Probes Role in Defense Contracts


• NEW: General Formally Named to Lead CIA

  Official Who Quit Under Goss Would Be Hayden's No. 2.

• Truthdig: Molly Ivins: The Best Little Whorehouse in Washington


• Bush Ignores Growing Opposition to Hayden

  Ignoring opposition from Congress, President Bush nominated General Michael V. Hayden on Monday to be the next CIA director, setting the stage for a confirmation struggle that is certain to focus on Hayden's military background and his role in a controversial domestic eavesdropping operation.

• TIME.com: The Spy Master Cracks the Whip

  How John Negroponte won control of the CIA, and what he plans next to consolidate rival agencies and his power.

• Hayden Faces Senate and CIA Hurdles if Named

  General Has Streak Of Independence And Nonconformity

• Hayden Nomination for CIA Raises Criticism

  President Bush on Monday chose Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden to lead the embattled CIA, re-igniting a debate over the domestic surveillance program that the one-time 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.

• Behind the Goss Toss

  A little-known White House advisory board convinced a reluctant President Bush to launch yet another high-profile shakeup of the nation's intelligence community and fire CIA Director Porter Goss, sources said yesterday.

• Exit of Chief Viewed as Move to Recast C.I.A.


• Bush's Pick For CIA Spot Directed Illegal Spying Program


• Spies Among Us

  Civil liberties watchdogs like attorney Richard Gutman want to know how efforts to stop al Qaeda have ended up targeting animal rights advocates, labor leaders, and anti-war protesters. "You've got all this money and all this equipment - you're going to find someone to use it on," he warns. "If there aren't any external checks, there's going to be an inevitable drift toward abuses."

• Larry C. Johnson | Whither the CIA?

  Larry C. Johnson writes, "John Negroponte and Michael Hayden are hell bent on shifting critical analytical functions from the CIA to some other part of government (perhaps a stand-alone entity). If true, the death knell for the CIA is sounding, and an important national security capability will disappear if they are permitted to institute this madness. While right-wing crazies, convinced that the CIA is part of an elaborate plot to undermine the Bush administration, will celebrate this pyrrhic victory, sane Americans should hit the panic button."

• CIA #3 Dusty Foggo Is Next to Go

  The CIA announced today that the agency's third-ranking official, Kyle (Dusty) Foggo, is leaving. The CIA's inspector general has been investigating whether Foggo helped steer agency contracts to companies run by his old friend Brent Wilkes, a defense contractor involved in the Duke Cunningham bribery scandal.

• Shuffling Spies Around

  The top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee said on Sunday that Gen. Michael Hayden, President Bush's choice to succeed Porter Goss at the Central Intelligence Agency, is "the wrong person, the wrong place, at the wrong time."

• The Nation: Goss in the Cold: A Scandal Skedaddle? By David Corn

  David Corn wonders about the sudden and surprising departure of CIA chief Porter Goss.

• The Nation: Hastert Trashes Hayden By Ari Berman

  Ari Berman reports on grumblings among prominent Republicans over Bush's pick for new CIA chief.

• The Nation: Sex, Limos and Government Contracts By Katrina Vanden Heuvel


• The Nation: Forecast for Snow By Jay Rosen

  Jay Rosen writes that when government refuses to explain itself, it's up to journalists to find the truth.

Photo credit: President Bush listens to Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, left, speak after he announced Hayden as his choice to replace outgoing CIA Director Porter Goss, Monday, May 8, 2006, in the Oval Office at the White House. Goss abruptly announced his resignation last Friday after less than two years on the job. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

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