When Porter Goss stepped down as CIA chief, he left open arguably the most important position in the United States Government with regards to the safety and well-being of the American people. The position as leader of the Central Intelligence Agency is vital in maintaining our security and staying one step ahead of those who may be plotting to do us harm.
Michael Hayden has a long and distinguished career in public service. He has served with the National Security Agency since 1999, and currently he is the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, where he is said to be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day activities of the national intelligence program. He was in charge of the NSA when they came under fire for wiretapping, which many see as being illegal, while many others see it as a necessary step in keeping this country safe. This wire-tapping was used to gather any information we could that was going between terrorists in the Middle East and terrorists living in the United States. According to polls taken after these programs were made public, most Americans understand the necessity of these programs and the safety they bring to us in this country. Hayden obviously also understands this.
Hayden is also a four-star general with the United States Air Force. His career has taken him all over the globe in the past 37 years, but he has been involved with intelligence gathering for most of his career. This seems fitting for someone appointed as the CIA director.
As with most things President Bush has done, this appointment has drawn massive criticism. Many people see it as foolish for a military man to run a civilian agency such as the CIA. In fact, Hayden is not the first military officer to be appointed as CIA director. Presidents Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and even Bill Clinton all appointed people with military careers to head the CIA.
If you take into consideration the current state of affairs in the world, the military and the CIA should be in close communication with one another. America is in a place right now where experience means a heck of a lot, and Hayden has that experience. Appointing a four-star general who is quick but not rash, who is deeply knowledgeable in intelligence matters and who is a problem-solver to the position of CIA director seems somehow the equivalent of having Michael Jordan coach a high school basketball team. He knows how it works. He knows what needs to be done. He knows how to get it done.
It is a sad fact that currently we are a world at war. The U.S. military on multiple fronts working to prevent another attack similar to 9/11. The fight is not just overseas though. We also have people back here in America analyzing what we have learned so our brave men and women can fight more efficiently and more effectively. The CIA, since its inception in 1947, has been a strong and secretive organization. It works every day to see that the U.S. is kept safe, and it requires strong leadership.
This is not a time to have a rookie leading the CIA. We need veterans and people with experience working to keep us safe. Gen. Hayden fits the bill.
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