Friday, May 05, 2006

Porter Goss Resigns From The CIA - Did Mary McCarthy's Problem Cause This?

All I know is CIA chief Porter Goss was on the job for about two years. Then, today, he resigns. Blogger News Network seems to have a view of what happened that's connected to the firing of Mary McCarthy for alledged leaks of classified information. Here's the rest of the story from CNN:

Porter Goss resigns as CIA chief
'I honestly believe that we have improved dramatically,' he says

Friday, May 5, 2006; Posted: 4:03 p.m. EDT (20:03 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- CIA Director Porter Goss is resigning, President Bush announced Friday.

"Porter's tenure at the CIA was one of transition, where he's helped this agency become integrated into the intelligence community, and that was a tough job," Bush said in a photo session with Goss at the Oval Office.

"He's got a five-year plan to increase the number of analysts and operatives, which is going to help make this country a safer place and help us win the war on terror," the president said. (Watch Bush's Oval Office announcement -- 2:38)

Goss told Bush: "I believe the agency is on a very even keel, sailing well, I honestly believe that we have improved dramatically."

No reason was given for Goss' resignation, but the White House has been in the midst of an administration shakeup since Josh Bolten took over as chief of staff.

Goss' resignation was based on a "mutual understanding" between Bush, national intelligence director John Negroponte and Goss, a senior Bush administration official told the Reuters news agency.

"The best way to describe it is when you ask somebody to do very difficult things during a period of transition, it often makes sense to hand off the reins to somebody else to take the agency forward," the official told Reuters.

No replacement was announced.

Goss became CIA chief in September 2004. He had previously served 16 years as a Republican congressman from Florida. During his congressional tenure, Goss served as chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence.

From 1962 to 1972, Goss was a CIA clandestine service officer.

Goss' deputy, who may take over in the interim, is Vice Adm. Albert M. Calland.

Reaction to Goss' resignation from lawmakers emphasized that the CIA needs to continue to change, regardless of who takes the reins.

"Director Goss took the helm of the intelligence community at a very difficult time in the wake of the intelligence failures associated with 9/11 and Iraq WMD," Sen. Pat Roberts, a Republican from Kansas who is chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a written statement. "Porter made some significant improvements at the CIA, but I think even he would say they still have some way to go."

Former CIA Director Stansfield Turner told CNN that Goss may have resigned because he was passed over for the position of director of national intelligence, which went to Negroponte.

Former Georgia Rep. Bob Barr agreed with Turner's speculation and added, "I think there's going to be more coming out; we don't know the whole story."

"This is a devastating blow, the importance of which really cannot be overestimated," Barr told CNN. "It indicates again a continuing downward slide in the intelligence capabilities of our government, it indicates again the disorganization on the part of our intelligence agencies at a time when we can ill afford to see that happen."

The agency was recently rocked when Mary McCarthy was fired, reportedly for allegedly leaking information about secret prisons to The Washington Post. McCarthy's lawyer denies that she was the source for the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting.

McCarthy's firing was seen as part of a crackdown by Goss on the leaking of classified information.

There has also been media reports of dissatisfaction with Goss' leadership among the rank-and-file within the agency and the exodus of several high-level staff members.

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