Article

2004-08-10 Home Front: WoT

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Steve 2004-08-10 8:59:41 AM|| || Front Page|| [5 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Dems don't like him - that means he'll probably be effective and a good choice. They risk looking bad in beating up on him at confirmation hearings, he's no chump and will bite back

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2004-08-10 09:31|| 2004-08-10 09:31|| Front Page Top

#2 I'm in Florida, district 14 (the same district Goss represents). So I know a good deal about him. I don't always agree with his politics but he's extremely intelligent, has a lot of common sense (which doesn't always go with intelligence) and has a lot of intelligence experience (including in the CIA).
Despite the fact that I don't always agree with him politically, I have voted for him every single time he's run here. I don't vote party line, and am registered independent.
If you think this is an endorsement of Goss, you are quite right. He's absolutely the best man for the job.

Posted by Kathy K 2004-08-10 09:39|| http://site-essential.com 2004-08-10 09:39|| Front Page Top

#3 Kathy - Whew! Thanks for the first-hand assessment! I've read a LOT about him, but the sources are, of course, mainly among those I have learned to distrust or filter to death. Your description hits the mean - the sweet spot - when it's all boiled down, so it rings true. And that is a major relief! I am particualrly happy he has actually been IN the CIA - and Operations to boot... nothing beats on the scene knowledge and experience. The common sense part is the other thing that rings my bell! I'm cool with him now, not that he needed it, heh.

I don't know if this will be a timing mistake (i.e. will the circus will overshadow the point?), but at least I feel better about the person put forward.

Thanks, Kathy! Much appreciated!

Posted by .com 2004-08-10 10:05|| 2004-08-10 10:05|| Front Page Top

#4 Kathy, that's nice to hear. Agree that the Dem's risk looking soft on terrorism if they don't confirm, especially after all their wailing about the need for something like this.

And it also gives GOP a chance to beat the Dim's over the head a few more times re: their delays in confirming justices.

Posted by B 2004-08-10 10:07|| 2004-08-10 10:07|| Front Page Top

#5 In the aftermath of the intelligence community getting ripped up one side and down the other by the various committees and commissions, would the Dems even dare to mess with the DCI confirmation hearings? It'll lead to a replay of 2002. (c.f. Homeland security follies, government service employees union featherbedding)

Posted by eLarson 2004-08-10 13:57|| 2004-08-10 13:57|| Front Page Top

#6 Retired Adm. Stansfield Turner, who was CIA chief during the Carter administration and supports Sen. John Kerry's presidential bid, said Goss' selection marked "a bad day for the CIA." Goss was chosen simply "to help George Bush win votes in Florida. This is the worst appointment that's ever been made to the office of director of central intelligence because that's an office that needs to be kept above partisan politics," Turner said.

Stan, you should amend that to "the worst appointment that's ever been made to the office of director of central intelligence".... since me.

Posted by tu3031 2004-08-10 14:02|| 2004-08-10 14:02|| Front Page Top

#7 tu - dead right, bro. Fox, for reasons that utterly elude me, often invite Turner on for commentary. His broken-record partisan dogma is truly mind-boggling - and here we have yet another charge against the Pubs that is standard play for the Donks - accuse them of what we do. It's a great ploy and instantly confuses the issue. He's so far out of touch, so far out of the loop, that every word is wasted air-time. He's a Carter fuckwit and whore -- looking for a job, methinks.

Why they don't get someone who's still informed and has a real grasp of reality - like Woolsey - is beyond me. I'd hire Woolsey in a heartbeat for any advisory or staff intel position - he knows his shit, is extremely articulate and well-spoken, and doesn't pull his punches. A truth-teller and awesome bullshit-detector.

Posted by .com 2004-08-10 14:10|| 2004-08-10 14:10|| Front Page Top

#8 plus Woolsey's still got some classified powerpoint stuff on his laptop :-)

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2004-08-10 14:47|| 2004-08-10 14:47|| Front Page Top

#9 Article: Retired Adm. Stansfield Turner, who was CIA chief during the Carter administration and supports Sen. John Kerry's presidential bid, said Goss' selection marked "a bad day for the CIA." Goss was chosen simply "to help George Bush win votes in Florida.

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Iranian Revolution and the taking of American hostages at the US embassy in Tehran occurred on Turner's watch. 'Nuff said.

Posted by Zhang Fei">Zhang Fei 2004-08-10 15:04|| http://http://www.polipundit.com]">[http://http://www.polipundit.com] 2004-08-10 15:04|| Front Page Top

#10 I saw Turner on Fox Sunday (Kerin was looking good) and he was just a Dem talking point mouthpiece. His comment is so ridiculous that it makes him look stupid. ZF is right. This guy is an(other) empty suit.

Posted by remote man 2004-08-10 15:32|| http://]">[http://] 2004-08-10 15:32|| Front Page Top

#11 If Turner is against it, then he must be the right choice.

Posted by B 2004-08-10 15:44|| http://]">[http://] 2004-08-10 15:44|| Front Page Top

#12 woolseys too openly neo con, Dot com boom. and one of the harder line neo cons at that - closer to Perle than to Wolfie (closer to dot com than to LH?:))

Posted by Liberalhawk 2004-08-10 15:46|| http://]">[http://] 2004-08-10 15:46|| Front Page Top

#13 LH - LOL! Nice twisty-curvy post! Still laughing... and I'm sure you're right, no make that left, lol!

Posted by .com 2004-08-10 15:51|| http://]">[http://] 2004-08-10 15:51|| Front Page Top

#14 Ah, but will Kerry be for Goss, or against Goss, or both?

Posted by Seafarious">Seafarious 2004-08-10 16:22|| http://]">[http://] 2004-08-10 16:22|| Front Page Top

#15 "woolseys too openly neo con, Dot com boom. and one of the harder line neo cons at that - closer to Perle than to Wolfie"
Lh, you talk about this like it's a bad thing...LOL
And how can a "harder line neo-con" not be close to Wolfowitz?!

Posted by GreatestJeneration">GreatestJeneration 2004-08-10 16:26|| http://www.greatestjeneration.com]">[http://www.greatestjeneration.com] 2004-08-10 16:26|| Front Page Top

#16 Sea - Are you suggesting he'll handle it just as he does every other issue?

Posted by .com 2004-08-10 16:27|| http://]">[http://] 2004-08-10 16:27|| Front Page Top

#17 Chances are we'll never know because Kerry probably won't show up to vote on it either way. He's a busy man you know.

Posted by tu3031 2004-08-10 16:37|| http://]">[http://] 2004-08-10 16:37|| Front Page Top

#18 Kerry will vote for Goss in committee before he votes against him on the floor.

Posted by Mr. Davis 2004-08-10 16:53|| http://]">[http://] 2004-08-10 16:53|| Front Page Top

#19 Goss may be a good and competent man, but is he the hard-ass reformer that CIA needs? I have my doubts.

But perhaps Bush is planning to move the heavy lifting to NID's position.

Posted by someone 2004-08-10 20:43|| 2004-08-10 20:43|| Front Page Top

#20 Interesting that he has military intel experience.

The question of how, and how much, to integrate other intel with military intel is a hard one. Battlefield commanders don't want CIA / NSA types deciding what they need to see or taking a long time to pass it along.

OTOH duplication of systems is expensive. It'll take someone with feet in both worlds to get some agreement on the balance between them.

Posted by rkb 2004-08-10 21:14|| 2004-08-10 21:14|| Front Page Top

#21 I just read # 19.

I wonder just how close we are to having an intelligence agency called the NID.

Real life imitates Stargate yet again?

Posted by Phil Fraering 2004-08-10 21:44|| http://newsfromthefridge.typepad.com]">[http://newsfromthefridge.typepad.com] 2004-08-10 21:44|| Front Page Top

21:23 Phil Fraering
21:13 Zhang Fei
21:15 Anonymous6105
13:52 B
13:48 dreadnought
09:16 Anonymous5089
04:42 Rafael
04:36 Super Hose
04:30 Super Hose
01:26 FlameBait93268
00:47 Zenster
00:47 Silentbrick
00:40 Anonymous4828
00:39 Silentbrick
00:23 trailing wife
00:21 trailing wife
00:09 Seafarious
00:02 Zhang Fei
23:58 Anonymoose
23:45 Bomb-a-rama
23:42 Zenster
23:42 trailing wife
23:39 Bomb-a-rama
23:39 Anonymous6033