Ray McGovern: Gossing Over the Record

[swag]

http://www.counterpunch.org/mcgovern09172004.html

Excerpt: . . .

Mr. Goss also lacks what is demonstrably a sine qua non qualification for a Director of Central Intelligence-experience managing a large, highly complex organization.

Moreover, the job for which he has been nominated requires the kind of nonpartisan approach that is alien to anyone who has functioned for very long in the highly politicized ether of the U.S. Congress-again, as the tenure of George Tenet, who made his mark serving Senators, so amply demonstrated.

Goss co-authored an opinion piece in The Tampa Tribune on March 8, claiming that in the 1990s Sen. John Kerry "was leading efforts in Congress to dismantle the nation's intelligence capabilities." And in June, Goss interrupted debate on the House floor by displaying a sign with a 1977 quote from Kerry that called for cuts in the intelligence budget. These antics raise legitimate concerns with respect to Goss's ability to be nonpartisan.

Even more troubling to veteran intelligence analysts is the way Goss' prepared statement parroted the president's rhetoric to the effect that terrorists "are committed to the destruction of our economy and our way of life"-boilerplate that merits as much credence as the now thoroughly discredited pre-war claims about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

. . .

[On the Road]

1. That Was My First Thought, Too

that Goss was a legislator didn't have the managerial background.

I asked my ex-wife about Goss when he was nominated -- she's a technical director knowledgeable about the intelligence community (as well as a lifelong Democrat). She asked if he was being nominated for the umbrella position over all intelligence agencies. When I said no, just the CIA, she said "that's OK then." Meaning given the choices among likely candidates, Goss wasn't the worst possibility.

But when I asked her about managerial experience, she said "you really don't need that for CIA." Not sure what that's supposed to mean other than that CIA is normally headed by political appointees and the agency is accustomed to pretty much running itself.

[KoKo]

2. Kick

:kick: