National intelligence director to evaluate CIA missions

[maddezmom]

Source: LATimes

Dennis Blair moves to assert greater authority over clandestine operations amid mounting tension between the intelligence agencies.
Reporting from Washington - Sensitive CIA operations overseas will face new scrutiny from the nation's intelligence director under a plan approved by the White House and outlined in a memo to the espionage workforce last week.

The move marks an attempt by Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair to assert greater authority over clandestine operations at a time of mounting bureaucratic frictions between the CIA and Blair's office.

Among the activities that could be evaluated are the CIA's campaign of Predator missile strikes against militant targets in Pakistan, as well as secret paramilitary and spying operations in other countries.

In a memo to subordinates Friday, Blair cited new guidance from the White House that his responsibilities "include assessment and evaluation of the effectiveness of sensitive operations." The majority of those, he said, "are conducted by the CIA."

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-cia17-2009nov17,0,7056137.story

[jmowreader]

1. Why is Dennis Blair DNI?

He's a fine man and means well, but I would MUCH rather have Real Intelligence Officers, instead of the people we have in there now, as Director of National Intelligence, Director of Central Intelligence and so on. Leon Panetta's a lawyer, Dennis Blair is a ship commander. One of the few things Bush did that made any sense at all was appointing Mike McConnell, who was an intelligence officer and a good one, DNI.

Before the president chose these guys, I was very clear: Get Paul Menoher. He'll do a good job and he's not ultrapolitical like, say, Panetta is. Shit, get Raymond McKnight.

[Piewhacket]

2. We have this ultra-secret organization, secretly and massively funded, prohibit..

anyone from talking about what they do,

and the question is... to whom do they answer?

[Sinti]

3. The answer is

mostly Standard Oil, somewhat United Fruit Company, and there are a few other resource extraction conglomerates that they do side jobs for, as well. I'm just going by the outcomes of their many "operations" after they've become public.

[Piewhacket]

5. yeah, they seem pretty expert at looting, fraud, torture, and destabilizing governments too....

so it obviously follows the Republican party must be right
up there on the list of clients.

n/t

[Sinti]

4. This could be good news

The Executive needs to regain control over what is apparently a rogue faction of the CIA. I'm really glad they specifically mentioned the Predator drone strikes. They keep killing villagers, and then they say, well, we got two terrorists, it's a win for...

Somebody needs to point out that killing all these civilians is absolutely not acceptable. They're making more extremists. If you came and killed my family I don't know what I'd do, and I'm a pacifist.

Thanks for posting this, gave it a rec, but things like this often don't get traction - not enough controversy I guess :(

[ShortnFiery]

6. Yes, more oversight is always GOOD.

:thumbsup: