"This morning, Director Porter Goss offered his resignation as the director of the Central Intelligence agency. I've accepted it. During the course of his tenure, I've established a very close, personal relationship with Porter, which is very important for the director of the CIa", said President Bush on Friday.
Goss was a young CIa case officer in the 1960s, carrying out assignments in Latin america and the Caribbean.
He later entered politics and was elected to Congress. He chaired the House intelligence panel from 1997 to 2004. Goss intended to retire from public service. However, in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, Vice President Cheney asked him to stay as chairman. He was nominated CIa Director in September 2004 to succeed Tenet.
Bush and Goss, sitting next to each other in the Oval Office, exchanged briefly a few praises. "He's led ably. He's got a five-year plan to increase the number of analysts and operatives, which is going to help make this country a safer place and help us win the war on terror," said Bush.
"It has been a very distinct honour and privilege to serve you, and, of course, the people of the country, and the employees of the Central Intelligence agency. I can tell you the trust and confidence you've placed in me and given me the latitude to work is something I could never have imagined and I am most grateful for it," replied Goss.
The failures to prevent the 9/11 attacks and the completely erroneous pre-war intelligence about the Iraqi weapons of mass destructions have crippled the reputation of the agency and the morale of its employees.
But both men believe that the agency is now back on track. "I would like to report back to you that I believe the agency is on a very even keel, sailing well. I honestly believe that we have improved dramatically your goals for our nation's intelligence capabilities, which are, in fact, the things that I think are keeping us very safe," added Goss.
"He's instilled a sense of professionalism. He honours the proud history of the CIa, an organization that is known for its secrecy and accountability. I am confident that his successor will continue the reforms that he's put in place, and as a result, this country will be more secure. We've got to win the war on terror, and the Central Intelligence agency is a vital part of that war. So I want to thank you for your service" said Bush.
Bush described Porter's tenure at the CIa as one of transition. During Goss' tenure, the CIa has come under the authority of a new director of national intelligence: John D. Negroponte. This new position was created according to a recommendation of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Unlike his predecessors, Goss did not hold the title of Director of Central Intelligence. Negroponte now assumes that role and has taken many of the responsibilities previously assumed by the CIa director's such the President Daily intelligence Briefings (PDB).
Goss's 19-month tenure was marked by low morale at the agency, turf battles with the director of national intelligence, and a fair number of scandals.
Soon after his nomination, Goss appointed Michael Kostiw as executive director. Then, someone leaked embarrassing information about Kostiw's past. Kostiw had been forced to leave the CIa 20 years earlier. Two officers resigned in protest.
Goss picked Kyle Foggo to replace Kostiw. The CIa's inspector general is examining whether Foggo arranged for any contracts to be granted to companies associated with Brent R. Wilkes.
Brent R. Wilkes is a contractor who had connections to Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham. The Congressman has been sentenced to eight years in prison for corruption. Brent R. Wilkes and Foggo are longtime friends. The agency confirmed that Foggo and Wilkes attended private poker games at a Washington hotel. Upon hearing Goss's announcement, Foggo announced his resignation.
The President's Foreign Intelligence advisory Board recently reported that current and former agency officers were sharply critical of Mr. Goss's leadership. The report may have prompted Goss dismissal, although he was perceived since the beginning as a transition director.
Many officials left the agencies because they could not go along with Goss. John E. McLaughlin, former acting director and a. B. Krongard, former executive director, quit the agency.
Stephen R. Kappes and Michael Sulick, from the directorate of operations, resigned soon after Goss's arrival at the CIa. Robert Richer, head of the Near East division, quit in frustration over Goss's leadership.
a dozen department heads, station chiefs and division directors from the clandestine unit have resigned. Those individuals had language skills and experience that is hard to replace.
The Republicans are putting the best spin on Goss's results as CIa Director, but they certainly don't praise him. Senator Pat Roberts, the Kansas Republican is chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. "Director Goss took the helm of the intelligence community at a very difficult time in the wake of the intelligence failures associated with 9/11 and Iraq W.M.D.," said Senator Pat Roberts. "Porter made some significant improvements at the C.I.a., but I think even he would say they still have some way to go."
The Democrats are openly critical. "In the last year and a half, more than 300 years of experience has either been pushed out or walked out the door in frustration," Representative Jane Harman of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said. "This has left the agency in freefall."
Senator John D. Rockefeller IV is a senior Democrat on the intelligence panel. He conceded that Porter Goss's tenure as director of the CIa was a tumultuous one, but emphasized that the agency "must have a leader with strong credentials, a demonstrated track record of independence and objectivity, and the ability to bring much needed harmony within the ranks."
On March 14 2003, Senator Jay Rockefeller formally asked Robert Mueller, the F.B.I. director, to investigate the forged documents concerning the attempt by the Iraqis to buy uranium from Niger. These forged documents were presented as proof that Iraq was rebuilding a covert nuclear program. The US government used them to justify a pre-emptive war against Iraq.
"There is a possibility that the fabrication of these documents may be part of a larger deception campaign aimed at manipulating public opinion and foreign policy regarding Iraq," Rockefeller wrote to Mueller.
He urged the F.B.I. to ascertain "the source of the documents, the skill-level of the forgery, the motives of those responsible, and why the intelligence community did not recognize the documents were fabricated."
a senior F.B.I. official told Seymour Hersh that it was not impossible that the documents had been falsified by someone inside the american intelligence community. "We haven't gotten anything solid, and we've looked. Somebody's hiding something, and they're hiding it pretty well."
William Harlow, the C.I.a. spokesman, said that "the agency had no evidence that former members of the C.I.a. had forged the documents."
a retired clandestine officer told Seymour Hersh that "the story about a former operations officer faking the documents is making the rounds. What's telling is that the story, whether it's true or not, is believed."
and this demonstrates the extraordinary level of bitterness among C.I.a. agents and the animosity between the agency and the Bush -Cheney administration.
Senior administration officials said that Gen. Michael V. Hayden was the likely choice of President Bush to replace Goss. General Hayden is the principal deputy director of national intelligence.
General Hayden oversaw the very controversial program to intercept international communications of americans, and foreigners residing in the US, believed to have links to terrorist groups such as al Qaeda.