News Hayden Not Fit to Lead CIA - My Opinion

[Ivan Seeking]

I see Hayden as part of the problem. In a news conference the other day, he reiterated the "trust us" argument for warrantless wire taps.

IMO, anyone who supports this position is dangerous and has no business running the CIA. I also agree that this is no time to mix military with civilian offices. Even if he resigns, he is too close to the military power structure, which only adds to first objection.

 

[Pengwuino]

Yah, we really don't need the military and the CIA to be on the same page, that's dangerous thinking. That's almost as scary as a former sheriff being head of the F.B.I.

 

[scott1]

I always thought that the CIA was kind of like the milltary but it's a offically a civilan organiztion.
Doesn't the CIA spy gather intellgence for the milltary?

 

[Pengwuino]

I always thought that the CIA was kind of like the milltary but it's a offically a civilan organiztion.
Doesn't the CIA spy gather intellgence for the milltary?

Yes, the CIA and military have had varying degrees of difficulty working together (and the military people I've known directly and indirectly say its way beyond "difficult"). I personally see all these problems with civilians/politicians heading military matters having these kinds of solutions. Look at all the hub-bub about Rumsfeld. Everyone goes nuts at him because 10 of some 10,000 generals get ahold of the NY times and cry foul and people still think a military guy in a governmental job is a bad thing?

 

[Gokul43201]

Pengwuino, can you name 10 retired generals who worked under Rumsfeld during this term that have spoken up in support of him ? Don't be fooled into thinking the generals that aren't saying anything are fans of Rummy.

 

[Pengwuino]

Pengwuino, can you name 10 retired generals who worked under Rumsfeld during this term that have spoken up in support of him ? Don't be fooled into thinking the generals that aren't saying anything are fans of Rummy.

Don't be fooled into thinking that 6 must represent the majority

 

[Astronuc]

No warrentless wiretaps. There is no honest reason, there is no necessity.

 

[Pengwuino]

No warrentless wiretaps. There is no honest reason, there is no necessity.

"There is no terrorist threat in America"

 

[Gokul43201]

Don't be fooled into thinking that 6 must represent the majority

There's certainly more evidence that this is a majority opinion than a minority opinion, or do you have those ten names I asked about ?

But that's not the point. I'm not just agreeing with their opinion. I'm agreeing with their conclusions based on real events that they've retold. I've read at least three independent pieces written by three different generals (one of whom is not even among the generals calling for Rummy's resignation - because he doesn't wish to get involved in politics) with significant overlap in the points they raise, to believe that they all decided to just tell a bunch of lies for their 15 minutes minutes of fame.

 

[Pengwuino]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114522916171427157.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060417/D8H1O0J00.html

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/11/rumsfeld.iraq/index.html?section=cnn_topstories&eref=yahoo

You got 6 there, i got 6 or 7 or who knows how many here. See how much of a waste it is? Let alone the semi-military circulation of a countless # of generals approving of his job. The NY times didn't front page it though...

So between the 2 of us, we have around 20 maybe? Do we really want to waste our time with 7000? Everyone has their opinion, no one knows what everyone thinks.

 

[Gokul43201]

"There is no terrorist threat in America"

The existence of a terrorist threat is not a reason to circumvent judicial oversight. And if it was, there is a legal way to do that - it takes an act of Congress. One has to wonder what the President meant when he swore to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States".

But then, one also has to wonder what the President meant when he said this :

"(T)here are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires — a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so. It's important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

"There is no terrorist threat in America"

Did you have a point to make or are you merely appealing to the simple minded?

 

[Gokul43201]

You got 6 there, i got 6 or 7 or who knows how many here. See how much of a waste it is?

No, you've completely missed the point. This isn't about what the generals opinion of Rumsfeld was, as much as it is about events that they've recounted that clearly point to micromanaging and mishandling the operation. You can bring along a hundred character witnesses that support Rumsfeld, but that does nothing to eliminate the accounts of a couple of people that point out serious flaws in his handling of the war effort. Heck, even one of the people (in your second link) who has written in support of Rumsfeld said "He micromanages."

Or do you think the planning of the occupation of Iraq was brilliantly performed ?

 

[Hurkyl]

No, you've completely missed the point. This isn't about what the generals opinion of Rumsfeld was, as much as it is about events that they've recounted that clearly point to micromanaging and mishandling the operation.

Your first post was a challenge to Pengwuino to find generals whose opinions are in favor of Rumsfeld.

In your second post, your opening salvo reiterated that challenge.

If Pengwuino is "missing the point" by answering to your challenge, then just what the heck have you been doing?


And the ironic thing is that Pengwuino was even telling you that tallying opinions is a waste of time!

 

[Gokul43201]

Your first post was a challenge to Pengwuino to find generals whose opinions are in favor of Rumsfeld.

Which he answered. And that's fine, but it is still unrelated to the second (and pertinent to the question of Rummy's competence) point I am making.

In your second post, your opening salvo reiterated that challenge.

But the rest of that post made it clear that that was not the pertinent point. Or did you miss that ? The first point was merely to address the assertion that "6 does not constitute a majority of 1000". Heck, you couldn't make any sense of an opinion poll if you say that 5341 is not a majority of 200 million.

If Pengwuino is "missing the point" by answering to your challenge, then just what the heck have you been doing?

Making two different points (perhaps not too clearly) - one of which, you've chosen to ignore, and the other, you've misunderstood.

1. 6 does not have to exceed 5000, to be representative of the majority opinion of 10,000.

2. My opinion is based on accounts of specific events retold by some who I do not think are lying.

And the ironic thing is that Pengwuino was even telling you that tallying opinions is a waste of time!

Yet he used exactly this to discout their opinions in the first place - that the tally was a small number compared to the total. What is ironic is that in supporting him, you've discounted the point he was trying to make.

And in any case, I wasn't tallying opinions to the end of forming my own. I was only pointing out the correct way to tally opinions.

 

[Astronuc]

Meanwhile, back at the CIA -

Intel Vacuum: CIA's Top Three Spots Vacant
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5394057

All Things Considered, May 9, 2006 · With the three top positions at the CIA now vacant, the future of the agency is an open question. Robert Siegel talks with two intelligence analysts: Reuel Marc Gerecht, a CIA Middle East specialist from 1985 to 1994; and Rand Beers, a counter-terrorism advisor to the National Security Council from 1988 to 1998, and again from 2002 to 2003.

I heard this interview. It seems the situation is pretty bleak regarding the intelligence gathering capabilities at in the intel community.

 

[Hurkyl]

one of which, you've chosen to ignore, and the other, you've misunderstood.

No, I'm ignoring both of them. For what I'm trying to say, their actual content is irrelevant.

You said you were "making two different points". You admit that Pengwuino's post was actually answering one of your two points. So you can hardly accuse him of "missing the point".

But the rest of that post made it clear that that was not the pertinent point.

That's the trouble with making multiple points -- they are all fair game for response.


P.S. I think you misread Pengwuino's meaning -- as far as I can tell, he was never arguing (at least in this thread) that the majority of generals support Rumsfeld.

 

[BobG]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114522916171427157.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060417/D8H1O0J00.html

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/11/rumsfeld.iraq/index.html?section=cnn_topstories&eref=yahoo

You got 6 there, i got 6 or 7 or who knows how many here. See how much of a waste it is? Let alone the semi-military circulation of a countless # of generals approving of his job. The NY times didn't front page it though...

So between the 2 of us, we have around 20 maybe? Do we really want to waste our time with 7000? Everyone has their opinion, no one knows what everyone thinks.

The defense of Rumsfeld is pretty much summed up by Gen. Peter Pace's comments, "People can question my judgment or his judgment, but they should never question the dedication, the patriotism and the work ethic of Secretary Rumsfeld."

Unfortunately, it's the judgement of Rumsfeld that his critics are attacking, not his dedication, patriotism, or work ethic.

The four that do say Rumsfeld is an effective Secretary of Defense focus on his transformation of military. To be honest, Rumsfeld is good at doing the things a Defense Secretary should do.

His problems crop up when he steps over the line into the areas of expertise where he should be relying on his generals.