Secretary Rumsfeld Sets The Record Straight
Much ado about nothing is how I describe the hullabaloo being made over Michael Hayden being named to succeed Porter Goss as DCI. The media has loved to ask pointed questions regarding a possible conflict of interest because Mike Hayden is a general; a serving military officer. As Thomas pointed out, that argument is foolish at best as the CIA has had six directors that were in the military. But, as we know, the MSM is not likely to let up, and in this piece from the New York Times, Secretary Rumsfeld was his usual self in dealing with reporters asking stupid questions about his relationship with General Hayden.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld laughingly dismissed speculation today that the Central Intelligence Agency might lose its independence if Gen. Michael V. Hayden is confirmed as its new director.
Mr. Rumsfeld alluded to "theoretical conspiracies" and "theoretical turf fights" when he was asked to comment on the reaction to President Bush's nomination of the Air Force general, reaction that has included skepticism among some Republicans about whether General Hayden is a wise choice.
But Mr. Rumsfeld acted as though such reaction, and news accounts of it, were baseless. When he was asked outright if the Pentagon were trying to gain greater control over intelligence collection or analysis, he gave the kind of answer that people who follow his briefings have come to expect.
"The short answer is no, we're not," he said. "The better answer, the more complete answer, would be that the quality of the debate on this subject is pedestrian and unimpressive."
The secretary said he had enjoyed good relationships with General Hayden and with John D. Negroponte, the national intelligence director, as well as with the two most recent C.I.A. chiefs, Porter J. Goss, who resigned under pressure last week, and George J. Tenet.
"There's no power play taking place in Washington," Mr. Rumsfeld said. "People can run around and find somebody who will tell them almost anything they want. But it's interesting how little facts ever get attached to any of these thumbsuckers that get printed in the press."
When asked about comments by Representative Peter Hoekstra, the Michigan Republican who heads the House Intelligence Committee, that General Hayden was the wrong man for the C.I.A. job, Mr. Rumsfeld called Mr. Hoekstra "a thoughtful person."
"He's knowledgeable, and the president obviously came to a different conclusion," Mr. Rumsfeld said.
As a member of the House, Mr. Hoekstra has no direct role in the confirmation process. But Senator Pat Roberts, the Kansas Republican who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee and will have a role in the process, has also expressed some reservations about General Hayden.
Mr. Rumsfeld said General Hayden was highly qualified. The secretary conceded that he and the general had differed on whether to move the National Security Agency from the Defense Department to the office of Mr. Negroponte. General Hayden wanted to shift the N.S.A., but Mr. Rumsfeld succeeded in keeping it under Pentagon control.
But Mr. Rumsfeld acted as though questions about past disagreements between him and General Hayden were not only off the mark but not even worth asking. "Oh, let's get right down into the minutiae," he said. "Won't that be fun?"
As for changes in the intelligence bureaucracy since the Sept. 11 attacks, Mr. Rumsfeld described the evolution as "a collegial and open process," nothing like the bureaucratic struggles described in the news media.
There is a part of me that feels sorry for the MSM. They are looking for a story that is not there. Secretary Rumsfeld states that there is no "turf battle" going on between him and the DNI, John Negroponte, and I am sure that there is not one. Were there such, I am sure the president would step in, and make them both stand in separate corners. Hugh Hewitt interviewed Secretary Rumsfeld today, and addressed the issue of a supposed internecine fight within the Pentagon over intelligence agencies and their purview. And like the story above, Secretary Rumsfeld made it clear that no such infighting exists.
Sounds like it may be time for the MSM to move on. I suggest a more important story, like this one from this one from Michelle Malkin.
Much ado about nothing is how I describe the hullabaloo being made over Michael Hayden being named to succeed Porter Goss as DCI. The media has loved to ask pointed questions regarding a possible conflict of interest because Mike Hayden is a general; a serving military officer. As Thomas pointed out, that argument is foolish at best as the CIA has had six directors that were in the military. But, as we know, the MSM is not likely to let up, and in this piece from the New York Times, Secretary Rumsfeld was his usual self in dealing with reporters asking stupid questions about his relationship with General Hayden.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld laughingly dismissed speculation today that the Central Intelligence Agency might lose its independence if Gen. Michael V. Hayden is confirmed as its new director.
Mr. Rumsfeld alluded to "theoretical conspiracies" and "theoretical turf fights" when he was asked to comment on the reaction to President Bush's nomination of the Air Force general, reaction that has included skepticism among some Republicans about whether General Hayden is a wise choice.
But Mr. Rumsfeld acted as though such reaction, and news accounts of it, were baseless. When he was asked outright if the Pentagon were trying to gain greater control over intelligence collection or analysis, he gave the kind of answer that people who follow his briefings have come to expect.
"The short answer is no, we're not," he said. "The better answer, the more complete answer, would be that the quality of the debate on this subject is pedestrian and unimpressive."
The secretary said he had enjoyed good relationships with General Hayden and with John D. Negroponte, the national intelligence director, as well as with the two most recent C.I.A. chiefs, Porter J. Goss, who resigned under pressure last week, and George J. Tenet.
"There's no power play taking place in Washington," Mr. Rumsfeld said. "People can run around and find somebody who will tell them almost anything they want. But it's interesting how little facts ever get attached to any of these thumbsuckers that get printed in the press."
When asked about comments by Representative Peter Hoekstra, the Michigan Republican who heads the House Intelligence Committee, that General Hayden was the wrong man for the C.I.A. job, Mr. Rumsfeld called Mr. Hoekstra "a thoughtful person."
"He's knowledgeable, and the president obviously came to a different conclusion," Mr. Rumsfeld said.
As a member of the House, Mr. Hoekstra has no direct role in the confirmation process. But Senator Pat Roberts, the Kansas Republican who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee and will have a role in the process, has also expressed some reservations about General Hayden.
Mr. Rumsfeld said General Hayden was highly qualified. The secretary conceded that he and the general had differed on whether to move the National Security Agency from the Defense Department to the office of Mr. Negroponte. General Hayden wanted to shift the N.S.A., but Mr. Rumsfeld succeeded in keeping it under Pentagon control.
But Mr. Rumsfeld acted as though questions about past disagreements between him and General Hayden were not only off the mark but not even worth asking. "Oh, let's get right down into the minutiae," he said. "Won't that be fun?"
As for changes in the intelligence bureaucracy since the Sept. 11 attacks, Mr. Rumsfeld described the evolution as "a collegial and open process," nothing like the bureaucratic struggles described in the news media.
There is a part of me that feels sorry for the MSM. They are looking for a story that is not there. Secretary Rumsfeld states that there is no "turf battle" going on between him and the DNI, John Negroponte, and I am sure that there is not one. Were there such, I am sure the president would step in, and make them both stand in separate corners. Hugh Hewitt interviewed Secretary Rumsfeld today, and addressed the issue of a supposed internecine fight within the Pentagon over intelligence agencies and their purview. And like the story above, Secretary Rumsfeld made it clear that no such infighting exists.
Sounds like it may be time for the MSM to move on. I suggest a more important story, like this one from this one from Michelle Malkin.
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 6:11 PM
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