Top Two Officials In U.S. Intelligence (McConnell and Hayden) Expect to Lose Jobs

Source: Washington Post, Page One

The nation's top two intelligence officers expect to be replaced by President-elect Barack Obama early in his administration, according to senior intelligence officials.

A number of influential congressional Democrats oppose keeping Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell and CIA Director Michael V. Hayden in their posts because both have publicly supported controversial Bush administration policies on interrogation and telephone surveillance. One Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee said there is a "consensus" view on the matter.

Other Democrats and many intelligence experts, however, give high marks to the current cadre of intelligence leaders, crediting them with restoring stability and professionalism to a community rocked by multiple scandals in recent years. A government official who has closely followed the evolution in the intelligence leadership in recent years argued that it is important to keep at least a few "seasoned" professionals in place during wartime.

Obama transition officials, who have steadfastly declined to discuss the personnel selection process, said yesterday that no decisions have been made regarding intelligence appointments. McConnell and Hayden, both career intelligence professionals, interpret the Obama team not reaching out to them as a sign that they will not be kept on, intelligence officials said.

Both wish to remain on the job, officials say, though neither has said so publicly, and both think that their early departures could be seen as politicizing their offices and setting a precedent for automatic turnover when the White House changes hands. President Bush's decision to retain George J. Tenet, a Clinton appointee, as CIA director was seen inside the agency as a stabilizing move, after the CIA went through five directors in the 10 years following the Iran-contra affair....

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/11/AR2008111103055_pf.html

Watching all of this unfold is like anticipating Christmas, every single day since November 4.

Others could had provided stability without illegal torture and wire-taps.

are considering keeping him on a National Security Commission. That is the one field Lieberman has been at odds with democrats from day one and yet for some unknown reason Democrats are willing to allow him to remain on the Homeland Security commission as Chair. His ideas are wrong and have been demonstrated to be wrong and yet????????????