Bush Taps NSA Spy Program Head to Run the CIA

In previous posts, I have said that Bush never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity... I misspoke. He also never misses an opportunity to say F-you. His decision to name Gen. Michael V. Hayden to head the CIA is just one of those F-yous to the American people and his own party.

It came with little surprise that Porter Goss stepped down from the CIA. He was met with immediate resistance for his plan to staff the CIA with former capital hill staffers and can all democratic CIA employees who worked in the CIA. He was never able to mesh with the organization.

But with Hayden, Bush continues to push his, "you are with me or against me, and ifyou are against me, F-you," agenda by tapping the man who headed up the NSA spy program on American citizens. I have no question that Hayden is an extremely intelligent individual. There is no lack of respect in the intelligence community. But, he comes with two issues.

First, he is a military man and would be heading up the civilian intelligence agency. He could resign his position as general, but he would still have immense ties to the military and to Donald Rumsfeld's disaster of a DoD.

Second, he has already publicly stated that he does not agree with the Supreme Courts interpretation of the constitution, and constructed the NSA spy program specifically around that snub of the 4th amendment. For anyone who is concerned about Bush's overreach of presidential powers, Hayden is the wrong man to head up the CIA. For all intensive purposes, Hayden does not see a line between domestic and foreign intelligence gathering, and the presidents authority to spy domestically is not hindered by the 4th amendment requirement for a warrant.

Not only does Bush further alienate liberals opposed to domestic spying, he puts the Republicans running for re-election is an even worse position, by forcing them to defend the nomination of a man many independents and conservative libertarians see as a direct threat to personal privacy.

Bush took another opportunity and squandered it intentionally on confrontation instead of unification.

Hayden Nominated to Head CIA

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