McLaughlin: Goss had 'rocky start'
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'Challenges were particularly difficult' during ex-CIA boss' tenure
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Central Intelligence Agency Director Porter Goss has resigned, President Bush said Friday. No reason was given for Goss' resignation.
Shortly after the announcement, CNN anchor Tony Harris spoke with John McLaughlin, who was acting CIA director when Goss took over the post in 2004.
HARRIS: Are you surprised by this announcement?
MCLAUGHLIN: I am a little surprised in the sense that I don't think there was any indication that this was coming.
HARRIS: ... What do you think is behind this? We've heard everything from perhaps he was just a little disgruntled, a little disappointed that he didn't get the director of national intelligence job.
MCLAUGHLIN: ... I don't know what's behind it. What I would say is this: Porter Goss came in at a very difficult time in the agency's history.
Not only was the agency accused, I think unfairly in many cases, of various mistakes and failings at the time of his arrival but, in addition, he came in at a time when a whole new structure had been created to manage the intelligence community, and the CIA in the process, of course, had to step back from some of the leadership responsibilities that it had traditionally exercised.
So I think Porter Goss came in at a time when the challenges were particularly difficult, hard to overcome, and when the agency was struggling to regain its balance and the traditional elan than it has had over the years.
And I have no clue as to exactly why Porter Goss decided to step down at this moment. But sometimes a gargantuan, huge job like that takes its toll. ...