You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Fifth Column
Levin Moves To Block Nomination Of Adm. Elizabeth Hight
2008-06-24
Posted by:3dc

#16  Robin - that's nonsense. Regardless of their personal qualities, the relationship stinks if the projected positions comes about.
Posted by: Frank G   2008-06-24 23:52  

#15  Nonsense. Charlie Croom is an old boss of mine. He's one of the brightest stars to ever wear the Air Force uniform. DISA may not be perfect, but it does its job pretty well and has adapted well to emerging demands under Charlie.

As for Levin, he was my senator and has long struck me as a partisanly congenital moron.
Posted by: Black Charlie Unurt7863   2008-06-24 22:42  

#14  I wonder what an investigation of DoD contracts to Senator Feinstein's husband will reveal?
Posted by: Gomez Cravins9023   2008-06-24 22:07  

#13  So DOD loses a badly needed leader in a critical agency because we haven't figured out how to be smart about senior women.

Wonderful.

I can think of a couple of other approaches that would have worked here, including indpendent review of any bid awards to her husband's company.

But once again redacted attitudes like Besoeker's win and the country loses.

Ask me if I'm pissed.
Posted by: lotp   2008-06-24 22:05  

#12  Lt. Col. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, confirmed the nomination had been withdrawn, "to prevent any perceived conflict of interest due to her husband's current position within the defense industry."

But at least Admiral Hight now knows exactly how highly her commander and her organization think of her. That's worth a great deal.
Posted by: trailing wife    2008-06-24 21:52  

#11  motivation for initial nomination clearly identified.

Hight is also second in command at DISA. She was supported for the move-up by the current head of DISA.

Three stupid comments in less than two weeks. I bet you'll end up with an even dozen before the month is out.
Posted by: Pappy   2008-06-24 21:31  

#10  Deacon: After the Darleen Druyan scandal with Boeing, and a few other recent scandals, this selection should have never passed the sniff test. Admiral Hights spouse's BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT postion at NG should have removed her from the short-list long before it became a news item. Political correctness should never trump conflict of interest, or the perception of conflict of interest. Just my take on it mate.
Posted by: Barak   2008-06-24 21:28  

#9  Cheap shot, Besoeker.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2008-06-24 21:02  

#8  And, in the midst of all this, they're uprooting DISA in N. VA and moving the whole Sha-Bang to rural N.E. Maryland...Totally destabilizing and inefficient. Just the sort of out-of-the-box thinking we've come to expect from a GIG-think DOD.
Posted by: Asymmetrical Triangulation   2008-06-24 20:39  

#7  Her promotion to the director's job would have made her a three-star vice admiral, of which there are currently only two women, out of a total of 34.

Qualifications motivation for initial nomination clearly identified.
Posted by: Besoeker   2008-06-24 20:26  

#6  Did I mention 'really'?? LOL

really meant it, tho ....
Posted by: lotp   2008-06-24 20:23  

#5  Mike, DISA desperately needs the expertise and leadership of this woman. That's why she was nominated.

DISA is really stretched right now. I can see why the Pentagon would find it really important to utilize a proven leader who is technically competent, respected not only within DISA but within the services who resisted the creation of that agency. And who can rally an over-stretched workforce doing a really mission-critical job.
Posted by: lotp   2008-06-24 20:22  

#4  ...Normally I wouldn't give Senator Levin the time of day - I had an up close and personal view of how he treats the military many years ago. But in this case, I gotta agree with him. By all accounts Admiral Hight is an honest and upright officer in the best traditions of the Naval Service, but the appearance of a potential conflict was just way too great.
Now - let's talk to the idiot who nominated the Admiral in the first place...

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2008-06-24 20:17  

#3  DISA's op tempo has been a killer the last 7 years and especially the last 4. Not just with the explosive growth in demand for battlefield tactical networks, and with starting to implement the global information grid, but also and especially with info assurance attacks from a variety of sources (cough China, etc. etc.).

They've gotten sub-tactical in focus, which is understandable but also a danger. And personnel are stretched thin ....
Posted by: lotp   2008-06-24 20:14  

#2  Well, they need someone to clean out DISA. It is about as efficient as congress at the moment.
Posted by: DarthVader   2008-06-24 20:09  

#1  wish Levin would put as much ethical thought and concern into the members of the Senate Banking Committee and their conflicts of interest

*cough* Dodd, Conrad *cough*
Posted by: Frank G   2008-06-24 19:51  

00:00