Hayden, the proposed new chief of the CIA, was previously in charge of the NSA. He strongly supported the questionable wiretapping program, ‘rendition’ and other deeply questionable programs.

Negroponte, the National Intelligence Director, and a Bush administration insider, did not get along with Porter Goss, because Porter Goss, the outoing CIA director, had serious doubts concerning the issue of wiretapping.

So it turns out that Bush, Negroponte and Hayden got together and decided that the Director of the CIA had to go. If Porter Goss had qualms about doing the President’s bidding, regardless of legal qualms, he had to go.

So now Hayden is now being promoted to DIrector of the CIA, and Goss is out. Another full Neo-Con insider grabs a position of absolute power.

And so the checks and balances slowly crumble. If you disagree, you are out. There is no room for differing views or contrarian advice in the governing cabinet. By Presidential proclamation, the laws of the country do not apply to those in power. If you fall out of favor, expect to be airbrushed out of the photos.

Slowly but steadily the USA is losing the Cold War, becoming what we fought so strongly against. And we do this in the name of freedom and democracy.

Remember, the masses were also enchanted by Mao, Stalin, Pol Pot, Castro and (I say this with dispair) also Hitler. Are we heading towards totalitarianism with a smile on our faces? It certainly seems that way.

Obligatory Bush-bashing:

“He has led ably. He has a five-year plan to increase the analysts and operatives,” said Bush, who stood beside Goss while speaking.

So… who is the ventriloquist, and who is the dummy? Was Goss drinking from a glass of water while Bush was talking?

He has a five-year plan… No, he had a five-year plan, and then he quit.

He’ll probably write another embarrassing exposê on Bush’s incompetence and get SwiftBoated like everyone who works for Bush and dares tell the truth.

Sag.

While a sex scandel wouldn’t surprise me any, I don’t believe that it will be just a Republican one. Though Democrats usually have their sex scandels on their own, they don’t need lobbiests to find their sweeties.

Though after Claude Allen resignation after being caught trying to defraud Target, anything’s possible.

a) After 18 months in a true position of power, and privy to the truth about what the administration knew, when they knew it and what they did with it, he said to himself “I am a man of honor, and I want nothing to do with these Bozos”, and quit… (read this in a whispered tone… just like Powell did).
b) He wanted to implement important changes that did not agree with the Administrations plans… so he felt useless and quit.
c) The CIA hated him because he is a Bush assppointee, and with the CIA professionals privy to the truth about what the administration knew, when they knew it and what they did with it, they made monkey faces at him at every meeting, and he quit.
d) He asked for a Medal of Freedom for his incredibly good job, and even Bush realized that that would be too embarassing, so he quit.
e) He found Osama and Zarqawi, but the Bush administration would do nothing about them because eliminating them would weaken the “War on Terror” justification, so he quit.
f) Most likely reason: He was being asked to do stuff that is outright illegal (and possibly immoral), and quit rather than continue to be a party to the wholesale breaking of the laws and disgracing of the principles of our country, he quit.

It’s pure speculation that the “person who now holds a powerful intelligence post” is Goss, but you wanted gossip, so there’s your gossip.