Friday, September 24, 2004
Confirming Porter Goss was a disaster.
Yes, he has a background with the CIA and his legislative background is certainly valuable. But his record as a partisan shill, critizing the Clinton administration and exonerating the Bush administration whenever possible, his scornful reaction to the Plame affair (remarking inanely that he'd be interested if it featured a blue dress), and his basic lack of independence from the administration make him wholly inadequate for the job. The CIA needs a real reformer, not a spin artist. There's the hope that Kerry might be elected and bring his own director in - actually that's all the hope there is. Maybe there was a political argument for not stalling the nomination - Daschle's reelection bid is one possible factor - but this was one worth fighting.
Yes, he has a background with the CIA and his legislative background is certainly valuable. But his record as a partisan shill, critizing the Clinton administration and exonerating the Bush administration whenever possible, his scornful reaction to the Plame affair (remarking inanely that he'd be interested if it featured a blue dress), and his basic lack of independence from the administration make him wholly inadequate for the job. The CIA needs a real reformer, not a spin artist. There's the hope that Kerry might be elected and bring his own director in - actually that's all the hope there is. Maybe there was a political argument for not stalling the nomination - Daschle's reelection bid is one possible factor - but this was one worth fighting.
