John Michael McConnell is Cheney’s choice to replace John Negroponte as Director of National Intelligence.
Perhaps McConnell’s most important backer in the upper reaches of the Bush administration is Vice President Dick Cheney, with whom he worked more than a decade ago when the veep was Defense secretary under the first President Bush. McConnell had been approached at least twice before by the administration to take a top job in the intelligence director’s office but turned it down, according to two former government officials. McConnell finally agreed to take the job after a direct, personal approach from Cheney, according to a former government official who talked to McConnell in the last day or two.
Doesn’t that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing that Cheney’s man will be briefing the President each morning on the output of our intelligence agencies? I know it makes me feel loosy-goosy. Here’s some more stuff to make you feel peachy.
Still, some of McConnell’s longtime associations may cause him headaches during Senate confirmation hearings, especially with the Democrats taking over Congress. One such tie is with another former Navy admiral, John Poindexter, the Iran-contra figure who started the controversial “Total Information Awareness” program at the Pentagon in 2002. The international consultancy that McConnell has worked at for a decade as a senior vice president, Booz Allen Hamilton, won contracts worth $63 million on the TIA “data-mining” program, which was later cancelled after congressional Democrats raised questions about invasion of privacy. McConnell will be named by week’s end to replace John Negroponte, who will move on to become Condoleezza Rice’s deputy secretary of State, according to a White House official who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. While his role in the TIA program is unlikely to derail McConnell’s nomination, spokespeople for some leading Democratic senators such as Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Ron Wyden of Oregon say it will be examined carefully.
McConnell was a key figure in making Booz Allen, along with Science Applications International Corp., the prime contractor on the project, according to officials in the intelligence community and at Booz Allen who would discuss contracts for data mining only on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. “I think Poindexter probably respected Mike and probably entrusted the TIA program to him as a result,” said a longtime associate of McConnell’s who worked at NSA with him.
I am really beginning to like this McConnell guy. How about you?
intelligence, why I think this guy’s just perfect.
Cheney now has a good double-blind screen for his shenanigans, and George will take the primary fall.
The Democrats are in charge of the Senate.
It doesn’t sound like they’re planning on sending the Senate into recess anytime soon.
So remind me again, why do they have to approve anyone the misAdministration proposes to any position?
Oh yeah, charges of being obstructionist. Screw that.
Have the hearings started yet?
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… didn’t last that long on the job, although much harm was done.
Goss would be more discreet in showing his hand, but his appointment as director would be the ultimate in politicization. He has long shown himself to be under the spell of Vice President Dick Cheney, and would likely report primarily to him and to White House political adviser Karl Rove rather than to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."I’ve never been one for gambling or card games, but for an administration that has been extremely stable in terms of personnel, it seems that there are some pretty clear “tells” being broadcast with all of this shuffling.
I know there has been some speculation on the idea that those “tells” indicate planning about attacks on Iran. But it seems that regardless, they are showing their intent to escalate in all areas, not just in Iraq.
I’m not seeing any change of course as a result of the elections or the ISG report. It feels like one big game of “chicken” to see who’s going to blink first. With all of the world waiting in the balance.
…the new set of yes men.
Is there any chance that Cheney’s circle of friends might eventually dry up? It seems to be the entire administration. This guy is so paranoid he won’t take anyone into the administration that he has not known personallly for half his life. Its perverse.
Who will Cheney hire to replace Harriet Myers? Gotta keep Georgie on a tight leash.
McConnell’s and Negroponte’s confirmations will be the first real test of whether the Dem majority intends to stand up and change the way this country works. The hearings will be a golden opportunity to finally examine in detail the whole sorry story of how this corrupt bunch of Reaganites/Bushies betrayed their country for personal and ideological advantage. History has been distorted on this for 2 decades. I’ll be contacting my senators to demand a full accounting at last. I suggest you all do the same.
Confirmation hearings will hopefully be even more fun than Iraq war “surge” funding hearings at Appropriations should be.
IF the Democrats are a real opposition party America will be glued to C-Span as the first political contact sport channel.