Is Hayden Best Candidate for CIA Chief?
May 8, 2006 — -- This is a critical time for the CIA, which faces low morale and two recent major failures: the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the faulty intelligence regarding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
"The CIA is in considerable trouble," 9/11 Commission member Tim Roemer said. "They are demoralized. They are distracted, and they are disrespected."
The top priorities for the organization are gathering intelligence on al Qaeda to prevent new attacks and improving human intelligence and spying in places like Iran and North Korea.
Is Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, the man picked by President Bush to take over the CIA after the resignation of Porter Goss, the man to do it?
Three major concerns have been raised since the news was leaked over the weekend that Hayden would be Bush's nominee.
The concerns, which have come from Republicans as well as Democrats, start with Hayden's position as a military officer, which causes some to question whether he would be independent from the Pentagon.
"Let the military take care of the military intelligence," said Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. He said he doesn't think members of the military have to "have their hands" in civilian intelligence.
But John Negroponte, the director of the National Intelligence Office, which oversees all intelligence gathering, said the fact that Hayden wears a uniform will not make a difference.
"He's really capable of staking out independent positions," Negroponte said. "I think there are a lot of unfounded concerns there."
Another criticism of Hayden is that he was in charge of the controversial domestic spying program when he was director of the National Security Agency.
And, while Hayden has 20 years of experience gathering intelligence, he has done it largely by technical means -- through satellites or eavesdropping. That is very different from the human intelligence that is the CIA's primary focus.
Related Stories
ABC News Live