Since the CIA Director needs confirmation...

* jane: "Since the CIA Director needs confirmation by the Intelligence Committee and Feingold sits on the committee, maybe we’ll finally see someone ask the questions that need to be asked regarding the illegal NSA wiretaps. Not that the answers will be at all satisfactory, but it should be a good see Feingold get the chance he’ (and we) have been angling for."

* reddhedd: "I’m told that many in the NSA are livid about the program that has been going on — because it’s been severely limited to a small number of folks within the NSA who would go along with the President’s request, but the entire agency has been tarred by their actions. Should be a VERY interesting confirmation process indeed if they go into that aspect."

* tristero: "But more importantly, we have a president who actually said to a German newspaper, "The Germans today simply don't like war...""

* wapo A1:

"Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald is wrapping up his investigation into White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove's role in the CIA leak case by weighing this central question:Did Rove, who was deeply involved in defending President Bush's use of prewar intelligence about Iraq, lie about a key conversation with a reporter that was aimed at rebutting a tough White House critic?
[]
Additionally, one former government official said he testified that Rove talked with White House colleagues about the political importance of defending the prewar intelligence and countering Plame's husband"

* calipendence sent this through re CA50. bilbray is trailing busby by 8 points, and another GOPer is considering running against bilbray. gotta love that. the GOP is desperate - pulling in hastert, cheney, and mccain for some stumpin. go busby go.

* damien from the comments

This from Wayne Madsen:

"Based on Hayden's past at the NSA, Langley should stand by for psychiatric abuse, more Gestapo-like tactics from imported security personnel from Fort Meade, contractor fraud, FBI "sting" set ups like that which befell NSA Iraqi shop SIGINT analyst Ken Ford, Jr. -- the author of a SIGINT report that stated reports of Iraqi WMDs were not backed up by intercepts of Iraqi communications."

According to Madsen, an innocent Ken Ford had a classified document placed within his home that earned him six years in prison - payback for the SIGINT report. [It sounds credible. Ford was conscientious and always protested his innocence.]

Perhaps Goss can't handle some likely CIA whistleblowers and Hayden has been brought in as the 'hard man' to do the job.

...and there's another interesting angle:

"The CIA's venture capital arm, IN-Q-TEL, which provides CIA money to promising high-tech start-up firms, became the subject of a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation for possible massive misappropriation of taxpayer money.... CEO, Amit Yoran, abruptly resigned to "spend more time with his family." Yoran, an Israeli-American, had been on the job for just four months....the company is suspected of steering CIA funds to start-up firms with close ties to the GOP."