Thursday, December 30, 2004

While you were distracted...

Another CIA head honcho was purged by ex-GOP Rep. Porter Goss. Jami A. Miscik, the head of the CIA's analytic division told her staff Tuesday that she was resigning effective February 4th. Having filled every other department with Yes Men and Women, Bush is now having his henchmen do the same at the CIA. Even though it would be in there best long-term interest to have an impartial agency which could give them an honest assessment of intelligence, the Bush Administration is a reality-shapping, not a reality-based, community. They wanted a rubber stamp on their plans to invade Iraq, and the damned Agency had the gall to ask questions and doubt the existance of a nuclear, let alone a biological weapons program.

"Every [director of central intelligence] has a desire to have his own team in place to implement his vision and to offer him counsel," Miscik said in the e-mail. "This is a natural evolution of the leadership of our intelligence profession." Very diplomatic of you.



Personally, I think there are a few agencies which should be beyond the President's reach: the Justice Department and the Intelligence Agencies. There is too much room for the political needs of a White House to interfere and ruin sound policy. Like how Gore wanted to handle Elan Gonzalez differently, or how Bush wants the CIA to invent facts for his wars.

I think the US Attorney General should be elected on his or her own like they are in most states. This way, it could be a grooming ground for politicans who want to run for president but happen to annoyingly be in Congress (which always kills a White House run since 1960). Also, this would ensure that the AG would be independent from the President as they should be. That way, when the White House does something questionable, there will be no need for a "independent council" and there will be no appearances of impropriety.

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