Michael V. Hayden
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Categories: US Military figures | Directors of the Central Intelligence Agency
Gen. Michael V. Hayden is the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, (DCIA). He was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate on May 26, 2006. Previously, Hayden was the Principal Deputy to the United States Director of National Intelligence, a position he assuemd on April 21, 2005. Before that, he was the 15th Director of the National Security Agency (NSA), from March 1999, to April 2005. From January 1996 to September 1997, he was the Commander of the Air Intelligence Agency.
While he was at the NSA, he began an illegal program to intercept electronic communications without a warrant, as required by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. Before this program was revealed, Hayden lied and/or misspoke under oath to Congress: "When Hayden was questioned about the NSA’s powers during an October 2002 hearing before the Joint Senate-House intelligence committee inquiry into the 9/11 attacks, he said that once people—including, he said, Osama bin Laden—set foot on U.S. territory, they were protected against warrantless eavesdropping by the post-Watergate Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act."
Hayden has also been criticized for failing to reform the NSA's procurement arm, and for mismanaging the Trailblazer computer system.
Contents |
CIA Confirmation Hearing
First Furball
During his May 18, 2006 Nomination Hearing to be DCIA, Hayden was asked a rambling question by Republican Missouri Senator Christopher Bond intended to elicit condemnation of efforts to end the secret NSA domestic survelliance program. Hayden gave a more rambling response that included a weird reference to an physical ailment suffered by cats. Some sort of conservative code perhaps?
Bond: Going back to the NSA, I gather that there are some folks who really would like to see this program shut down. They may be phrasing it in various terms, but I suspect that there are soem who say it ought to be shut down. What would happen to out ability to identify and disrupt a planned al Qaeda attack in the United States, were it to happen?
Hayden: Sir, we've--my personal view and the reason I accepted this in October 2001 is my responsibility to help defend the nation. The folks who run this program, I think, believe and corectly believe--they make a substantiual contribution to the safety of the Republic. I went out to see them at the height of the first furball about this, and, you know, they're doing their jobs, but it was a difficult time. But the only emotion they expressed to me was not for themselves or that they had done anything wrong, but that they wanted to be able to continue to do what it is they had been doing."
Senate Intelligence Committee
On May 23, 2006, the Senate Intelligence Committe voted 12 to 3 to approve his nomination. All eight of the Republicans voted in favor. They were joined by four Democrats: Jay Rockefeller, Barbara Mikulski, Carl Levin and Dianne Feinstein. The three Senators who courageously voted no were Russ Feingold, Evan Bayh and Ron Wyden. Source: New York Times
Vote of the full Senate
On May 26, 2006, Hayden was confirmed by a vote of 78-15. The fifteen who voted no are Bayh (D-IN), Cantwell (D-WA), Clinton (D-NY), Dayton (D-MN), Dodd (D-CT), Dorgan (D-ND), Durbin (D-IL), Feingold (D-WI), Harkin (D-IA), Kennedy (D-MA), Kerry (D-MA), Menendez (D-NJ), Obama (D-IL), Specter (R-PA), Wyden (D-OR). Source: Senate Roll Call Vote
External Links
- Official Biography of Gen. Michael V. Hayden - from the NSA.
- Information Age Warrior, Military Information Technology (Feb 9, 2004). Interview.
- Changing the Guard - by Mark Hosenball, Newsweek.
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