LAT: Goss Leaves a Weakened CIA, Agency Officials Say

[sabra]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-ciaassess6may06,0,1094951.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Goss Leaves a Weakened CIA, Agency Officials Say

WASHINGTON — Porter J. Goss was brought into the CIA to quell what the White House viewed as a partisan insurgency against the administration and to re-energize a spy service that failed to prevent the Sept. 11 attacks or accurately assess Iraq's weapons capability.

But as he walked out the glass doors of the CIA's Langley, Va., headquarters Friday, Goss left behind an agency that current and former intelligence officials say is weaker operationally, with a workforce demoralized by an exodus of senior officers and by uncertainty over its role in fighting terrorism and other intelligence priorities, said current and former intelligence officials.

In public, Goss once acknowledged being "amazed at the workload." Within headquarters, "he never bonded with the workforce," said John O. Brennan, a former senior CIA official and director of the National Counterterrorism Center until last July.

"Now there's a decline in morale, its capability has not been optimized and there's a hemorrhaging of very good officers," said Brennan. "Turf battles continue" with other parts of the recently reorganized U.S. intelligence community "because there's a lack of clarity and he had no vision or strategy about the CIA's future." Brennan added: "Porter's a dedicated public servant. He was ill-suited for the job."

[uppityperson]

1. I thought they said he did a great job

or was that grate?

[tridim]

2. Heckuva Job Gossy n/t

[Up2Late]

3. Anyone know, how likely or difficult would it be for some to return now?

I mean the people who quit because of Goss? Could they get their jobs back, or a new CIA job?

[Erika]

5. They liked Goss better than Negroponte n/t

[Erika]

4. W has demoralized all federal agencies by his incompetency

in his appointments. He has replaced top officials with political hacks. FEMA was at one time a top rated outfit. W took over and appointed political hacks at the top and the day to day workers quit because of the politics and bureaucracy. Their analysis and recommendations were ignored if inconsistent with W's policies.

The same thing has happened with the CIA. What's left is a political shell unable to achieve any results unless approved by the W.

[spindrifter]

8. I think the demoralization goes deeper, even

than incompetency. BushCo has tried to do a couple of different things--get rid of anyone who is not loyal to the approved way of thinking and compartmentalize everything so no one is capable of connecting any dots or laying any mortar on the scattered bricks. This is a philosophy of government that aims at small central government. It's very simple--you just fire the old guard who know what is supposed to be happening in their agencies and then reorganize everything so the leadership is always one off.

[Erika]

10. It's also called government by dictatorship n/t

[shain from kane]

6. Who's going to water the orchids? n/t

[Zorra]

7. Republicans endanger our national security once again. Goss got rid

of all the personnel loyal to our country and people, and kept the personnel that were loyal to Bu*h and the republican party. The good guys that are left at the CIA are totally pissed off, and the bad guys are clueless, incompetent republicans.

[Connie_Corleone]

9. This is absolutely disgusting!

These idiots don't give a damn about protecting this country (not a new revelation). They only give a damn about what party you belong to!!

Asking CIA officials about their party affiliations?? Wanting to fire people for criticizing someone on Goss' staff?? Getting rid of people for criticizing the administration's policy on Iraq??

Bush and his minions have destroyed just about every federal agency in this country.

It'll take at the very least a decade to repair the damage he has created. That's IF we can get the Democrats back in control.

On edit: This thread needs some recommendations.

[stillcool]

11. Purposely weaker....

making the Pentagon that much more powerful. They've got the whole ball of wax under one roof...Rummy's.

[leesa]

12. That was his job, to weaken the CIA. This nonsense about being jealous

of Negroponte and saying the job was really hard is just GOP smoke. He's about to be nailed for something.