It seems that the CIA has taken a lot of heat from critics unfairly.I think the FBI and the CIA field agents have done, and are still doing a good job. Sad to say the failings start at the top.The administration cherry pick intelligence over objections from the field then when they get caught lying blame the agencies for bad intelligence. No wonder morale is at an all time low.In all my years I've never seen an administration politicize our intelligence agencies to the point of impotence.Sooner or later it's going to bite us in the rump!!Don't fret though, the spin doctors in the WH will just blame the Democrats saying "see, they tied our hands", and Fox news and Limbaugh will rush to their defense pushing the party line!!Somebody pass me a barf bag, I feel sick!!!!!
Don Iodice
Woodbridge, NJ

Seeing the picture of my father, Ralph Peterson, with Rueven Frank and John Cameron Swayze on the Nightly News made me remember how often I wonder what my father would think if he saw what passes for "hard news" these days on the networks. I remember him coming home angry over having to drop or edit a story to make it fit into the 24 minutes of air time in the Huntly-Brinkey show (my father was the director in DC for Brinkley). Now I watch the network news and see so much fluff and even the hard news is often dumbed down to bumper sticker levels. My question is what's so magical about 30 minutes. In 1963, Camel News Caravan was 15 minutes and then bang, we went to 30 whole minutes. We're still at 30 minutes in 2006 when we need to insert the equivalent of a "Style section" in with the real news of THE day. Not everyone wants to go to cabel to watch hours of news. Just 45 minutes or 60 minutes that actually offer's global coverage would make sense and probably attract sufficient sponsorhip to make money--not that making money is important in the News Division. Brian, just a thought from a news brat.

The CIA,homeland insecurity and FEMA are batting one for ten.We need some new hitters.

To Scott Debina.
Just because there have been no terrorist attacks on American soil since 9/11 doesn't mean that the American people havnt been under attack.
I'd call the attacks on the American people's right to privacy, freedom of speech and civil liberties pretty serious.
And those attacks didn't emanate from a cave in Afghanistan.

The CIA is definately planning something. Removing key figures that don't want to play the 'game'.
Obviously 'Bob' doesn't want to be involved anymore of the CIA's slaughter tactics.
Duck and cover my American friends!

I think they should fire all of the people\parasites at the CIA and get rid of the organization once and for all. After the recent series of revelations of spying on Americans by various departments of the government, I am waiting for them to take the next step and admit that the CIA has engaged in domestic spying activities.
I experienced this personally after applying for employment at the CIA in 1995 and before a bogus job interview in Tysons Corner,VA in November 1996. I experienced it again on several occasions thereafter until 2003.
I have written a lengthy account of the whole affair and posted it on my website for those who wish to know more.
If you have any questions about the veracity of my story I request that you direct them to the CIA people involved such as Melissa Mahle,Valerie Wilson, Eunjoo Kensinger,Rebecca Wolfson, Cheri Leberknight, Bob Baer (now retired), FBI Agent Miguel Fabregas, or Gao Zhan the Chinese woman who was convicted of exporting microprocessors to Communist China and recently released from prison.

*****************************************************
Some recent visitors to my website:

140.185.35.47 Jan 02 18:36:57 Pentagon, Washington,DC.
158.4.56.6 Jan 03 16:11:04 UASISC Fort Carson. Fort Carson, CO.
143.231.249.141 Jan 05 09:19:57 U.S. House of Representatives.
141.116.125.24 Jan 10 15:54:41 Army Info. Systems Command. The Pentagon.
143.231.249.141 Jan 13 12:39:13 U.S. House of Representatives.
199.208.22.21 Jan 13 15:46:26 DoD Network Info. Center. Chantilly,VA.
143.231.249.141 Jan 17 10:24:14 U.S. House of Representatives.
143.231.249.141 Jan 18 10:15:52 U.S. House of Representatives. Washington, DC.
143.231.249.141 Jan 18 12:02:38 U.S. House of Representatives. Washington, DC.
156.33.60.195 Jan 20 14:51:16 U.S. Senate. Washington,DC.
198.81.129.194 Jan 20 14:51:25 Central Intelligence Agency. Fairfax,VA.
138.162.0.38 Jan 20 15:23:01 NCTC. SPAWAR,Pensacola,FL.
143.231.249.141 Jan 23 09:51:01 U.S. House of Representatives.
143.231.249.141 Jan 23 12:36:38 U.S. House of Representatives.
143.231.249.141 Jan 23 16:26:54 U.S. House of Representatives.
143.231.249.141 Jan 23 17:37:22 U.S. House of Representatives.
143.231.249.141 Jan 24 11:09:25 U.S. House of Representatives.
143.231.249.141 Jan 24 16:33:03 U.S. House of Representatives.
198.81.129.193 Jan 27 08:42:35 Central Intelligence Agency OIT-BLK1.
192.189.236.20 Jan 30 15:37:19 Center for Naval Analyses. Alexandria, VA.
164.236.0.10 Jan 31 16:33:44 NORAD-USSPACECOM/J6D. ncnc.northcom.mil.
192.31.106.34 Jan 31 17:45:35 Lockheed-Martin Corp. Denver, CO.
192.31.106.34 Jan 31 19:26:00 Lockheed-Martin Corp. Denver, CO.
192.31.106.34 Feb 01 00:42:18 Lockheed-Martin Corp. Denver, CO.
156.33.60.195 Feb 02 17:28:07 U.S. Senate. Washington, DC.
164.49.251.72 Feb 03 10:00:23 United States Army Space and Strategic Defense.

By "Bob's" own words, if the quote above is accurate, "Jose" lost confidence in "Bob's" leadership. First, it isn't safe to assume that "Bob" had any leadership qualities to start, and second, there is nothing in the story to indicate that the White House had anything whatever to do with this ouster. Frankly, if someone isn't doing the job that the boss requires or expects, then why keep him/her there? And, when it comes to counterterrorism matters, the stakes are too high to be complacent with mediocrity. There are no political lines between national security and terrorist attacks, except in the minds of those who see evil cabals around every corner.

Scott Denbina said "There has been no attack on U.S. soil since 9-11-01. "

I am so very tired of hearing this tripe. There was nine years between the first attack on the World Trade Center and the 9-11 attacks. The terrorists come from societies that measure their wars in generational terms. Five years is a drop in the bucket. To give Bush and Co. credit for "keeping us safe" is a complete lack of an understanding of the enemy.

I just saw a list of the events that took place in 1963,when ABC went to 30 min.of news(up from 15)There is nothing that new going on in theCIA
White House,or in the World that has'nt been going on for years.It's just
24/7 in a world that is now living in the Spirit of CNN/FOX. We have been encouraged by our kids, to cancel Cable and just read and listen
to music.Plus we could save 65 bucks a month.Please join us.....

Since Goss took over, between 30 and 90 senior CIA officials have made their exit, according to various sources, some fleeing into retirement, others taking refuge as consultants. Others, unable to retire, have stayed, but only to mark time at the agency. Morale, already low after several years during which the CIA was accused of a series of intelligence failures related to September 11 and Iraq’s nonexistent weapons of mass destruction, is now at rock-bottom. The agency’s vaunted Near East Division, in particular, which served as the “pointy end of the spear,” as one CIA veteran put it, in simultaneous wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the “global war on terror,” has been decimated.

And the agency has been locked down tight: After a decade during which the CIA prided itself on a new openness, shedding some of its legendary obsession with secrecy, neither Goss nor anyone else in the organization is giving interviews or bothering to explain the CIA’s workings.

Appointed to lead the agency in the midst of a heated presidential campaign, Goss’ primary mission, according to numerous former CIA officials -- including some only recently departed -- was to yank Langley onto President Bush’s political team. His immediate goal in 2004 was to block what had been, until then, a stream of damaging leaks of information about CIA intelligence reports that ran contrary to the White House’s rosy optimism about Iraq and U.S. anti-terrorism efforts. More broadly, the Goss team clamped down on dissenting views and radically politicized the CIA’s leadership. Even worse, say former agency officials, Goss has acquiesced in the dismantling of the CIA itself, which has bowed too easily to the supremacy of the new director of national intelligence, John Negroponte, the former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, who spent his days in Baghdad contradicting the CIA’s clear-eyed battle reports.

Leave it to the Bush Administration to destroy everything it touches.

We have managed to stay a "safe" country. All of the armchair threorists do not have the information that we trust our government to use. What I read in the posts is second guessing at its best, political deafness and supposition promoted as fact. We have been "safe" and I pray, yes pray, that we stay that way. Am not so intelligent that I think I know it all. Am not so thoughtless as to promote supposition as reality.

Important facts to remember in this discussion are: The CIA are bad for providing poor intelligence leading up to the Iraq war.
The CIA are bad for telling the truth (punish-Valerie Plame) regarding premises for the Iraq war.
Saddam was a gathering threat.
3000 of our citizens were killed by Usama.
3000 our citizens(approx) are dead in Iraq.
Lost lives are the real two Towers to watch.
The Administration still trusts the CIA to interpret tapes of not the gathering danger but proven danger USama. So who is not doing their job, the CIA or the administration? Should the administration be playing the tapes when resources are being spent on some gathering danger as presented to the UN by Colin Powell? Does Usama send out tapes strategically when there is mounting challenge to the administration's position on war and terror?

How can we on the outside have the slightest idea what really is at play. Let the agency's do their jobs to the best of their ability and be accoutable to the entity's that over look them.

The administration and its supporters like to boast that there have been no attacks since 9/11. They would be wise to remember that there were no attacks between 2/93 and 9/11/01. I know the administration would like you to believe that this is because of them but I have no idea why but am skeptical that this administration has much to do with it. I base this on the mess in Iraq (and they were GROSSLY wrong about reconstruction, oil revenues, cost, number of soldiers, insurgency, etc......), the Katrina debacle which they won't come clean on, the stupid code colors that change everytime we have the hint of a scandal, and the absolute idiotic airline screening process which is window dressing and does nothing.
I am glad that there have been no new attacks but look at the history of terrorism as well as the competence of our government in so many ways and you may be less confident in why we haven't been hit again. Oh yeah, and given the state of the middle east, Korea, and the Islamic problems in Europe, are we REALLY safer after Iraq??????

I like the ongoing quote,"there hasn't been an attack on US soil since 9/11". Let us remember that it happened on this administration's watch. An unprecidented amount of capital, financial and human life, has been spent on a trumped-up war in Iraq while out port and transportation securities is in dire need of financing. This administration is all about oil. Our education system needs funding, as well. But, I guess if you keep our kids stupid, they'll believe anything the White House will BS them on.

Here we go again. If you don't play by my rules and do what "I" want (Bush Admin), then get out of here. A message for Scott, if you think we are safer from terrorism, you are in for a big surprise. The US was never attacked before 9/11. At least we weren't wasting our tax dollars.

Perhaps this proves the “peter” principle - a person promoted beyond their capabilities. I do not know if “Bob” had any success during his time as head of CTC, but when your boss loses confidence in you, it is time to go. “Bob” should have stayed in Islamabad – where he was apparently effective.

Sounds like Porter Goss is cleaning house. Amazing how people can whine about the innacuracy of the CIA on wide range of important issues, and then blame the powers that be for cleaning house because they and the country were burned so badly.

Wake up folks
he resigned because
he knows something is up
and he doesn't want to
take the fall
We let the cole bomber free
cant catch ben ladin
how stupid can we be
another attack is about to smack
so dont pump up the record
its fiction
we did it idiot
its 1984
thought control
yeah i broke the law
but it was to protect you
oil got record profits
but its because of al qaeda
and now because are dollar isnt worth jack
and the bourse is about to hit
iran is about to get fixed
all for who
the zionist who dont care
about me or you
just Syria maybe Egypt too
but I'm young and black so
don't listen to me
I must be a g
no no
i have my JD
about to take the bar
while i watch the fire burn on the star
spangled banner
one world government
don't act like
you don't know
you wanted to run the world
well white folks
here you go

I think we need men such as Jose who are willing to
try and remake a failed CIA with a knowlege of the
World state of affairs.

I cannot register my disdain for the politization inside the security structure enough. This is a war; and if anybody believes this is over - they are gravely mistaken. The Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean are no longer security blankets. Goss says that he is willing to take chances and accept the blame for failures in order to get back on top of things - because he also knows this is necissary. The question we face is: do we have the resolve to reach a consenusus to follow thru WITHOUT partisan politics dividing our efforts? If there is no clear mandate; then there will be division. Let's not forget that four of Zawahiri's men were killed; he escaped the situation because he knew the drones were out there to target him - specifically. I think he made that video because he had a 'close call'; he is frightened. Now, the 'gold standard' that the CIA has become should have the mandate to CAPTURE these individuals in order to maintain the order of law; not kill and martyrize their cause any further. Do we have the means to do this? And if not - then the risks to see it done 'our way' will only lead to further politizations of whatever mandate is in place. Are we 'checking' our resolve - or destroying it thru politization?

How can anyone comment on this when we have no idea what exactly is involved. The guy fired could have temperment problems or be incompetent or it could be political or, or, or... Seeing people post comments polarized either pro-Bush or anti-Bush admin says more about the state of things than the incident. Come on, fellow Americans, let's come back to our senses and stop the knee jerk us vs. us nonsense. We're all on the same side, and that's the American side.

Poor Bob, "Another one bites the dust", it's hard to keep good help, when your dishonest.

there seems to be a trend. some people just dont have the guts to wallow in the mud of the cheney/bush administration

Hopefully Bush supporters are aware of the "law of unintended consequences". Do you think you would still be comfortable entrusting a Clinton or Gore administration with the war on terror as it is currently waged?