Free Republic

One thing is certain about Scott McClellan’s book: he wouldn’t have sold many copies if it had been about how well President Bush had served his country. Friends and admirers of the President don’t need to read a book like that; only future students of history do. Friends and admirers well realize that, at enormous cost to himself in the nanny-state in which we now live, President Bush has kept us safe against all odds, he steered us through a recovery from the Clinton recession and then through the incredible collapse of the economy after 9/11, and all the while...

Seated at the Washington Gridiron dinner March 31, I was interrupted by a man crouching at my feet who was dressed Air Force formal with the four stars of a full general. It was CIA Director Michael Hayden, who complained to me profanely that my column had misrepresented him in the Valerie Plame Wilson case. Denying he favors Democrats, Gen. Hayden indicated to me he had not authorized Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman to say Mrs. Wilson had been a "covert" CIA employee, as he claimed Hayden did, but only that she was "undercover." Keeping busy at a Gridiron evening supposedly...

The Central Intelligence Agency violated its charter for 25 years until revelations of illegal wiretapping, domestic surveillance, assassination plots, and human experimentation led to official investigations and reforms in the 1970s, according to declassified documents posted today on the Web by the National Security Archive at George Washington University. CIA director Gen. Michael Hayden announced today that the Agency is declassifying the full 693-page file amassed on CIA's illegal activities by order of then-CIA director James Schlesinger in 1973--the so-called "family jewels." Only a few dozen heavily-censored pages of this file have previously been declassified, although multiple Freedom of Information...

When President Bush nominated Gen. Michael Hayden to run the CIA, the press focused on disapproving Democrats and even some Republicans who were dubious about confirmation. A month later, when the Senate confirmed Hayden by a 78-15 vote, the story was given much less emphasis in the media, which had moved on to other stories critical of the Bush administration. Similarly, when Bush nominated one of his aides, Brett Kavanaugh, to the federal judiciary, the press was filled with reports about Democrats threatening a filibuster because Kavanaugh once worked for special prosecutor Kenneth Starr in the case against President Clinton....

Senate confirms Hayden as CIA director By KATHERINE SHRADER, Associated Press Writer After hearing assurances he will be independent of the Pentagon, the Senate on Friday easily confirmed Gen. Michael Hayden, a career Air Force man, to head the CIA. Hayden, a four-star general, currently is the top deputy to National Intelligence Director John Negroponte. Hayden, 61, would be the first active-duty or retired military officer to run the spy agency in 25 years. He was approved by a vote of 78-15.

DMV agents look inside; Belman driver refuses to allow access, citing clients' privacy. Date published: 5/22/2006 Department of Motor Vehicles staff brought a search tactic reportedly used at Northern Virginian proms a little farther south Saturday night. As limousines pulled up to Colonial Forge High School's junior-senior prom, DMV agents asked to search the vehicles. Most drivers agreed to the searches, except for one. Prom-goers began arriving at the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center around 8 p.m. Once limousine drivers dropped off passengers, DMV enforcement agents asked to see chauffeur licenses and to search vehicles for alcohol and drugs. Most...

Govenor Dean on General Hayden's Nomination Governor Dean sent the following message to Democrats across the country today. No on Hayden. Add your voice now! As the director of the National Security Agency, Michael Hayden oversaw the creation of the massive domestic spying program revealed last week. Now George Bush wants him to run the CIA. After yesterday's hearings, it's obvious that Hayden's involvement in the NSA's domestic spying program disqualifies him from heading the CIA. His answers to questions from Congress and from the press have been evasive at best and downright false at worst. The Bush administration's chronic...

C-SPAN2, at least here in Salt Lake City, UT, is replaying the General Hayden confirmation to head the CIA now. Being deskbound during the day, I wasn't able to follow the actual interrogations, and was wondering if anyone else was watching tonight.

Discussion of a classified government wiretap program is expected to dominate Thursday's confirmation hearing for Gen. Michael Hayden, tapped by the White House to be the next CIA chief. Ahead of the hearing, details of the National Security Agency's wiretap program were given for the first time to the intelligence committees of both the House and Senate on Wednesday. Previously only a handful of senior senators and congressmen were told about the domestic spying operation authorized by the president, which is run outside the court system. The wiretapping will be a "central" topic of discussions on whether to approve Hayden...

WASHINGTON: The White House, in an abrupt reversal, will allow the full Senate and House of Representatives intelligence committees to review President George W. Bush’s domestic spying programme, congressional officials said on Tuesday. Two days before the programme was expected to dominate Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden’s Senate confirmation hearing as CIA director, the Republican chairmen of the Senate and House panels said separately that Bush had agreed to allow full committee oversight of his Terrorist Surveillance Programme. The programme, which allows the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on the international phone calls and e-mails of US citizens without first...

If you thought about it for more than five seconds, it was enough to make you scream. Here was Gen. Michael Hayden, either brave enough or naïve enough to take on the thankless job of heading the CIA, and every newspaper in the country was carrying headlines wondering if a military man should be heading the agency. The question of military subordination to civilian authority is a perennial issue — and one that I personally wrestled with 20 years ago, playing a modest role in crafting the Goldwater-Nichols Act that reformed the Pentagon command structure. But the Hayden controversy wasn't...

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2006 – The intelligence community has a far more complicated job now, during the global war on terror, than ever before, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said yesterday on the "Brian and the Judge Show" on Fox News Radio. Rumsfeld told interviewers Brian Kilmeade and Andrew Napolitano that threats faced in the 21st century pose tremendous challenges for intelligence professionals. Gone are the days when the United States faced a superpower enemy and tracked big armies, navies and air forces around the world. "We're worried about non-state actors getting their hands on & increasingly lethal weapons (and)...

Political America – red and blue – is puzzling. Devoid of logic, consistency and originality, politicians daily run so fast to be interviewed by the media that what they say seems like nothing more than bees buzzing around the hive, absent the public benefit of honey production. Were it not for the daily talking points provided by the Bureau of Talking Points, think how stupid most politicians would really sound. Be that as it may, Nancy Pelosi does represent the home of the Twinkie Defense and sour bread, so there! Several weeks ago, liberal politicians and the liberal media swooned...

It’s time for another grueling confirmation battle in Washington, and during an election year you can be sure that no stone will be left unturned into a soapbox. Whether politicians come out for or against General Michael Hayden as new head of the CIA, the only thing we can be sure of is that the trial--I mean, confirmation hearing--will be loud and ugly. The resignation of Porter Goss seemed like a surprise to many at the time, but not in hindsight. He was appointed to head the CIA in the wake of three spectacular foreign intelligence failures. The CIA failed...

Washington is agog today with the disclosure that appeared in USA Today that Verizon, AT&T and Bell South have been providing domestic phone call information to the National Security Agency on millions of residential and business phone calls made by Americans. It’s all part of the spy agency’s quest to create a huge database of caller information it could data mine in order to find patterns that might reveal terrorist communications. But it has raised enormous privacy concerns in the minds of many. The USA Today report, coming after last year’s disclosure in the New York Times of the NSA’s...

WASHINGTON - Congressional Republicans and Democrats demanded answers from the Bush administration Thursday about a government spy agency secretly collecting records of ordinary Americans' phone calls to build a database of every call made within the country. Facing intense criticism from Congress, President Bush did not confirm the work of the National Security Agency but sought to assure Americans that their privacy is being "fiercely protected." "We're not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans," Bush said before leaving for a commencement address in Mississippi. The disclosure, reported in USA Today, could complicate Bush's bid...

Hayden may favor eavesdropping law changes: Durbin By David Morgan and Andy Sullivan 14 minutes ago Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, President George W. Bush's nominee for CIA director and architect of his domestic spying program, appears to favor changes in federal law that would allow judicial oversight of the program, a Democratic lawmaker and his staff said on Wednesday. Sen. Richard Durbin (news, bio, voting record), the Illinois Democrat, said Hayden told him in a private meeting he was concerned when he set up the highly secretive program that approaching Congress could reveal tactics, techniques and procedures used by...

WASHINGTON, May 9, 2006 – The defense secretary and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today they endorse President Bush's nomination of Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden as CIA director. Bush nominated Hayden to the post yesterday to replace Peter Goss. "In my view, Mike Hayden is a true professional, and he'll do an excellent job for the country," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in response to a reporter's question at today's Pentagon news briefing. "I've known him for about 17 years, and he is just a superb officer who is a tremendous professional," agreed Navy Adm....

Valerie Plame should be the next Director of Central Intelligence, not Gen. Mike Hayden. Now that the CIA's Praetorian Guard has -- with the connivance of National Intelligence Director John Negroponte -- rid itself of Porter Goss, the CIA is confidently preparing to march back into the intelligence dark ages that preceded 9/11. Gen. Hayden -- former head of the National Intelligence Agency and most famous for his strong defense of the NSA terrorist surveillance program -- is slated to be nominated for the DCI post today. Hayden, now Negroponte's deputy and choice for DCI, will face tough questioning in...

The President spent the weekend in Washington, on Saturday he Delivered the Commencement Address at Oklahoma State University and later in the day attended a family wedding in Washington. On Sunday as is his practise when in Washington he attended St John's, the first lady travelled to Costa Rica to attend today's swearing in of Costa Rica's President-elect Oscar Arias. The Vice President concluded his Eastern European trip over the weekend concluding it in Croatia. Today the President announced General Michael Hayden as his nominee to head the CIA The President also made a statement about the humanitarian disaster in...

WASHINGTON, May 8, 2006 – President Bush today announced Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden as his choice to replace Porter Goss as next director of the Central Intelligence Agency. "Mike knows our intelligence community from the ground up," Bush said from the Oval Office today. "He's been both a provider and consumer of intelligence." Hayden currently serves as the deputy to Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte. Before that, he directed the National Security Agency. Bush said throughout his military career, Hayden has demonstrated an ability to adapt U.S. intelligence services to the new challenges of the war on...

Statements in response to President Bush's nomination of Gen. Michael Hayden to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency: ___ "Mike knows our intelligence community from the ground up. He has been both a provider and a consumer of intelligence. He's overseen the development of both human and technological intelligence. He has demonstrated an ability to adapt our intelligence services to the new challenges in the war on terror. He's the right man to lead the CIA at this critical moment in our nation's history." — President Bush. ___ "In the confirmation process, I look forward to meeting with the...

WASHINGTON - Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden will be named on Monday as the next chief of the CIA, officials said, as the White House began battling back against criticism that a military officer would lead the civilian spy agency. Recognizing concerns about military leadership of the CIA, a civilian agency, the White House plans to move aside the agency's No. 2 official, Vice Admiral Albert Calland III, who took over as deputy director less than a year ago. Other personnel changes also are likely, a senior administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the changes are not...

Kerry "troubled" by Hayden CIA nomination May 8, 2006 NASHUA, N.H. --Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry says he's troubled and has "serious reservations" about President Bush's nomination of General Michael Hayden to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Kerry says his concerns stem from Hayden's involvement in the Bush administration's domestic surveillance program, which Hayden used to oversee as the former head of the National Security Agency. Kerry made the comments to reporters after speaking at a convention of New Hampshire's professional fire fighters association in Nashua. Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden also is scheduled to speak at the convention. Biden...

A few days after 9/11, Lt. Gen. Michael Hayden called three dozen of the National Security Agency's top military officers and civilian executives to his office atop one of the intelligence organization's twin glass towers at Fort Meade, Md. In an August interview with Government Executive, he recalled telling assembled NSA leaders not to worry about finding seats; the meeting would be brief. "We have set ourselves on a course to do certain things," Hayden said, referring to reforms he instituted since becoming NSA director in March 1999. "We are now at war and the nation has been attacked. Is...

Probable CIA pick draws fire By staff and wire reports Monday, May 8, 2006 WASHINGTON -- Even before President Bush has named his choice to take over the CIA, the Air Force general who is the front-runner drew fire Sunday from lawmakers in the president's own party who say a military man should not lead the civilian spy agency. The criticism of the expected choice of Gen. Michael Hayden to head the CIA came from some influential Republicans in Congress as well as from Democrats.

WASHINGTON - Even before President Bush has named his choice to take over the CIA, the Air Force general who is the front-runner drew fire Sunday from lawmakers in his own party who say a military man should not lead the civilian spy agency. The criticism of the expected choice of Gen. Michael Hayden to head the CIA came from some influential Republicans in Congress as well as from Democrats. "I do believe he's the wrong person, the wrong place, at the wrong time," said House Intelligence Committee Chairman Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich. "We should not have a military person leading...

WASHINGTON - The nomination of Gen. Michael V. Hayden to take over the CIA would trigger a fresh battle over the secret warrantless surveillance program he oversaw on behalf of President Bush, a debate that could help shape the contours of the fall midterm congressional elections, officials in both parties said yesterday. Barring a change of heart, aides expect Bush to name Hayden tomorrow as his choice to succeed CIA director Porter J. Goss, who resigned under pressure Friday. Hayden, a former director of the National Security Agency and now deputy director of national intelligence, has become the most forceful...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The general considered the Bush administration's likely choice to become CIA director would be the "wrong person at the wrong place at the wrong time," the Republican head of the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee said on Sunday. Gen. Michael Hayden, former director of the National Security Agency, has been widely cited in the media as the President George W. Bush's expected pick to lead the CIA following the ouster of CIA director Porter Goss. "We should not have a military person leading a civilian agency at this time," Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, told "Fox...

WASHINGTON (AP) - A leading Republican came out against the front-runner for CIA director, Gen. Michael Hayden, saying Sunday the spy agency should not have military leadership during a turbulent time among intelligence agencies. Members of the Senate committee that would consider President Bush's nominee also expressed reservations, saying the CIA is a civilian agency and putting Hayden atop it would concentrate too much power in the military for intelligence matters. Bush was expected to nominate a new director as early as Monday to replace Porter Goss, who abruptly resigned on Friday. But opposition to Hayden because of his military...

House Intel Panel Chief Opposes Hayden By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer 45 minutes ago A leading Republican came out against the front-runner for CIA director, Gen. Michael Hayden, saying Sunday the spy agency should not have military leadership during a turbulent time among intelligence agencies. Members of the Senate committee that would consider President Bush's nominee also expressed reservations, saying the CIA is a civilian agency and putting Hayden atop it would concentrate too much power in the military for intelligence matters. Bush was expected to nominate a new director as early as Monday to replace Porter Goss, who...

Hayden considered pride of (Pittsburgh) North Side By David M. Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, May 7, 2006 Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden, the highest-ranking intelligence officer in the U.S. armed forces who could be President Bush's choice to head the Central Intelligence Agency, is a highly intelligent and hard-working man who learned valuable lessons growing up in Pittsburgh, according to former teachers and a classmate.

The nomination of Gen. Michael V. Hayden to take over the CIA would trigger a fresh battle over the secret warrantless surveillance program he oversaw on behalf of President Bush, a debate that could help shape the contours of the fall midterm congressional elections, officials in both parties said yesterday. Barring a change of heart, aides expect Bush to name Hayden tomorrow as his choice to succeed CIA director Porter J. Goss, who resigned under pressure Friday. Hayden, a former director of the National Security Agency and now deputy director of national intelligence, has become the most forceful defender of...

Hayden Faces Senate and CIA Hurdles if Named General Has Streak Of Independence And Nonconformity By Thomas E. Ricks and Dafna Linzer Washington Post Staff Writers Sunday, May 7, 2006; A06 When Gen. Michael V. Hayden took over as director of the National Security Agency in 1999, he faced a huge organization that was overwhelmingly staffed by aging white men who had spent their careers specializing in the intricacies of the Soviet Union and other aspects of the Cold War. He set out to overhaul the communications interception service and move it into the 21st century. He came out of...

CNN just broke on Anderson Cooper 360 that former NSA Chief General Hayden will replace Goss as the head of the CIA. It hasn't been announced yet by the president though.

President George W. Bush stunned Washington on Friday by accepting the resignation of CIA Director Porter J. Goss, and Republican sources told TIME that the White House plans to name his replacement on Monday: Air Force General Michael V. Hayden, who as Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence has been a visible and aggressive defender of the administration's controversial eavesdropping program. His nomination is sure to reignite the battle over the program on Capitol Hill, where one House Democrat promises "a partisan food fight" during the confirmation process. Though Hayden, who has a close rapport with Vice President Cheney, has...

On January 23rd, General Michael Hayden spoke to the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. It seems that the MSM hopes that his remarks go unnoticed because his points tend to make foolish these claims of "domestic spying" that the left has been hurdling at president Bush since the probably illegal divulging of the program in the press. General Hayden, principle deputy director of national intelligence and former director of the NSA, said some very important things in this talk. Things that should help clarify how we should all evaluate what has been going on with the NSA since before...

The Talk Shows Sunday, February 5th, 2006 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Gen. Michael Hayden, the principal deputy director of national intelligence; House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Boehner; Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. FACE THE NATION (CBS): Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. THIS WEEK (ABC): Gen. Michael Hayden; Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman. LATE EDITION (CNN) : Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.; Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.; Afghan President Hamid Karzai; former interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi; Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Saudi ambassador to...

MR. HILL: Good morning. My name is Keith Hill. I'm an editor/writer with the Bureau of National Affairs, Press Club governor and vice chair of the club's Newsmaker Committee, and I'll be today's moderator. Today, we have General Michael Hayden, principal deputy director of National Intelligence with the Office of National Intelligence, who will talk about the recent controversy surrounding the National Security Agency's warrantless monitoring of communications of suspected al Qaeda terrorists. General Hayden, who's been in this position since last April, is currently the highest ranking military intelligence officer in the armed services, and he also knows a...

REMARKS BYGENERAL MICHAEL V. HAYDEN PRINCIPAL DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCEANDFORMER DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY ADDRESS TO THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUBWHAT AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE & ESPECIALLY THE NSA HAVE BEEN DOING TO DEFEND THE NATION NATIONAL PRESS CLUBWASHINGTON, D.C. 10:00 A.M. ESTMONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2006MR. HILL: Good morning. My name is Keith Hill. I'm an editor/writer with the Bureau of National Affairs, Press Club governor and vice chair of the club's Newsmaker Committee, and I'll be today's moderator. Today, we have General Michael Hayden, principal deputy director of National Intelligence with the Office of National Intelligence, who will talk...

Hayden Delivers Impassioned Defense of NSA Lt. Gen. Michael Hayden, former director of the National Security Agency, delivered a brilliant and heartfelt speech on the NSA's international terrorist surveillance program at the National Press Club today. You can, and should, read it all here. What follows are just a few of the many highlights: In the days after 9/11, NSA was using its authorities and its judgment to appropriately respond to the most catastrophic attack on the homeland in the history of the nation. That shouldn't be a headline, but as near as I can tell, these actions on my...

MR. McCLELLAN: Good morning, everybody. I've got with me the Attorney General and General Hayden here this morning to brief you on the legal issues surrounding the NSA authorization and take whatever questions you have for them on that. The Attorney General will open with some comments and then they'll be glad to take your questions. And with that, I'll turn it over to General Gonzales. ATTORNEY GENERAL GONZALES: Thanks, Scott. The President confirmed the existence of a highly classified program on Saturday. The program remains highly classified; there are many operational aspects of the program that have still not...

U.S. intelligence czar not a new idea Based on what I’m seeing in the newspapers, hearing on radio call-in shows, and even reading among the flood of email messages received over the past week; many Americans believe the naming of Ambassador John Negroponte to the post of Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Hayden as deputy DNI is a brand new idea. As we all know, the DNI is responsible for overseeing the 15-member U.S. Intelligence Community. It’s a responsibility formerly held by the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (Director of Central Intelligence or...

UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL The chairman and vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence yesterday welcomed the nomination of John D. Negroponte as the nation's intelligence chief and highlighted the critical role that his deputy is expected to play. "Both Jay and I think that the appointment of Ambassador John Negroponte and, more especially, the appointment of his deputy, Lieutenant General Michael Hayden ... represent an excellent team," said Sen. Pat Roberts, Kansas Republican and committee chairman, who appeared on "Fox News Sunday" with Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV, West Virginia Democrat.