Feinstein On the Nomination of General Michael Hayden

[ProSense]

Statement of Senator Dianne Feinstein
On the Nomination of General Michael Hayden
as Director of the CIA

May 8, 2006

“Having a strong, professional CIA is crucial in America’s war on terror. The times are serious and it is imperative that we move rapidly to replace Porter Goss as the CIA Director. A long transition is not good for the nation. Morale at the CIA has dropped, and there are serious management and supervision challenges. We need a respected, competent intelligence professional who can command respect and manage this growing agency. Based on what I know so far, General Michael Hayden appears to fit that bill. He has run an intelligence agency twice the size of the CIA. And while he might not have had experience directly supervising human operations, he has been effective.

I believe he is prepared to act quickly to bring in other respected professionals to fill the top positions. The so-called ‘gosslings’ will go. These are the former House staff members that Director Goss brought over to help him run the CIA – a dramatic mistake in my view. It is also imperative that a mid-management infrastructure be put in place to help provide guidance to the larger number of new recruits coming on board.

There is growing concern about the military control of intelligence, so I do believe that it would be good for General Hayden to resign his commission so that a civilian was in charge of the CIA and I believe there will be questions about this issue during the hearing.

General Hayden will also face some serious questions about the warrentless surveillance program now being conducted by the NSA. I am on the Intelligence Subcommittee that is being briefed on the program. In my view, it appears all of this surveillance could be done under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act if we simply make some minor timing adjustments and I look forward to asking General Hayden about it.

The Intelligence Committee hearing on General Hayden’s nomination will be closely watched. And while I will wait until after the hearing to announce how I intend to vote, I believe that he is one of very few people in a very limited universe who could step in at this point of time and do what is necessary to get the CIA’s house in order.”


http://feinstein.senate.gov/06releases/r-hayden.htm

[Robbien]

1. Again, the contact numbers for Feinstein's office

Fax #([phone])

(Californians only)email: http://feinstein.senate.gov/email.html /

Phone #([phone])

[saltpoint]

2. Just sent my second letter to Feinstein. Hayden is wrong for this post.

[sandnsea]

5. He probably is

Regardless, most Americans expect our elected officials to wait until the hearings have been held to decide.

[saltpoint]

6. Letters need to pile up in senators' in-boxes prior to the hearings.

It has a direct effect on how assertive some of them are in questioning.

During or after the hearings is often too late.

[sandnsea]

10. Considering the spying part will be largely classified

I don't think letters will matter. Not that I think people shouldn't express their opinions, they should. I just think it's unrealistic to expect Hayden to be blasted before Americans are brought up to speed on who the guy even is.

[saltpoint]

14. Hayden's hands are dirty from the domestic surveillance issue.

That's plenty enough to prompt objections from any American.

[sandnsea]

15. Not what I hear

I keep hearing Americans support the spying. Maybe once we start questioning this guy, people will start to understand what happened. Which is what it seems to me Feinstein is saying.

[saltpoint]

16. I welcome any information a Senate panel can daylight for us, but

I think letters forcefully objecting to Hayden's involvement in domestic surveillance help shape the argument earlier.

I respect and acknowledge Dianne Feinstein's role, and my letters are not against her, but in objection to Hayden. I'm pro-Boxer but not anti-Feinstein.

For me, the resolution hinges on Negroponte's role. If he is at work trying to dismantle the CIA, or neuter its effectiveness, Hayden is worse than we think. If he is trying to restore the Agency at the behest of Jim Baker or behind-the-scenes Republicans, well, we'll have to see.

I enter the debate at the point where Bush continues to make in-your-face appointments which run contrary to the spirit of governing in a constitutional republic. That's not the only problem I have with Bush, but it's a big one when it comes to U.N. ambassadorships, CIA chiefs, and Supreme Court appointments.

You know the story.

[sandnsea]

19. That serves a purpose

Building a legitimate case against Hayden. I think some people don't get that senators are just starting to make the case to the people who don't know a thing about Hayden or the NSA or anything else. They can't start off on a rant or people will dismiss everything they say as a partisan attack. That's all.

[jmowreader]

3. I think she's wrong about the FISA assertion

The FISA court is very close to being a rubber stamp. They approve something like 95 percent of everything you put in front of them.

Plus, its approvals can be issued retroactively--if you have a target you simply MUST put on copy right now, you've got 72 hours to get your request in front of the court.

The only reason Shrub wouldn't seek approval from FISA is if his people knew the collection would be disapproved.

The warrantless surveillance issue has tainted General Hayden to the point where he'll be ineffective as DCI.

[sandnsea]

4. That's what she said earlier

She still has serious questions about the wiretapping, especially considering it's more mere suspicion than actual probable cause. She said if they need longer than 72 hours or more judges to ensure one is always available, she'd consider that. So she basically agrees with you, it's just that most Americans think that elected officials are supposed to find all these stuff out at hearings and not have partisan opinions ahead of those hearings.

[jmowreader]

22. There's no way they'd need more than 72 hours

You put the target on copy, then tell the FISA court you've got an important target that you believe to be terrorists, dope fiends, criminals or whatever you're having a war against this week. If they approve the collection and you later find out it's something you shouldn't be copying, you drop copy, tell the court you fucked up, put your tapes in a box and send them to some special repository where they wait as potential evidence. (Specifically, evidence against you if you're running around acting like Heinrich Himmler.) If they disapprove, you drop copy and send your tapes in. Before Bush, this happened a lot and it's no huge deal.

Now you do like Mr. President in Death Race 2000 and blame it on the Traitorous French Who Destroyed Our National Economy.

[kaygore]

7. Does this woman do any research or does she just swallow the party line?

[leftchick]

9. the repuke party line

:puke:

[Jack Rabbit]

8. OK, that's fair

General Hayden will also face some serious questions about the warrentless surveillance program now being conducted by the NSA. I am on the Intelligence Subcommittee that is being briefed on the program. In my view, it appears all of this surveillance could be done under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act if we simply make some minor timing adjustments and I look forward to asking General Hayden about it.

I take a dim view of the NSA program. Knowing that General Hayden is associated with it puts him in the dog house as far as I am concerned. Nevertheless, he should have the opportunity to answer questions and explain his role in the program and his views.

As Judge Roy Bean said, "Give him a fair trial and then hang him."

[sandnsea]

11. It's almost like a gift

Criminy, we WANT this guy in a hearing room. FINALLY we'll have somebody directly involved who will have to answer some questions.

[Jack Rabbit]

13. (Sound of metal grinding on whetstone)

Come in, General . . .

[CountAllVotes]

12. letter sent, K&R!

:kick:

[ecoalex]

17. What do you expect for a war hawk?

Her love for war and weapons procurement is a family affair, she's married to it.She could go for a better Dem, what say you?

[CountAllVotes]

20. I am no fan of "Dear Dianne"

but I wrote her a letter anyway! :grr: :argh:

:kick:

[Bluebear]

18. Feinstein on gay rights: "Too much, too fast, too soon."

No use for her.

[Mugsy]

21. Once again the "CIA in disarray" meme is perpetuated! :(

Please refer to my thread on why the GOP Talking Point that "the CIA needs fixing and/or gave us bad intelligence" is allowed to perpetuate.

Why isn't anyone debunking this???"