CIA UPDATE:

Gen. Michael V. Hayden isn’t the first active-duty military officer tapped to lead the CIA — he is in fact the fifth — but many intelligence experts and officers have bemoaned the idea of a general leading the agency at a time when the Pentagon is expanding its ability to engage in global spying and man-hunting, traditional realms of the CIA.

Despite such qualms, intelligence specialists say Hayden’s appointment may turn out to be a clever move by intelligence czar John D. Negroponte to help him assert authority over Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and his burgeoning intelligence bureaucracy. Negroponte, who by law oversees all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, has expressed frustration that he has not made more progress in managing the agencies under the Defense Department’s jurisdiction.

It’s all about the turf wars. Is that bad? Well, FDR used turf wars as a way of encouraging subordinates to do their best. That has not, however, been Bush’s practice.

Meanwhile, Ann Althouse thinks that the Hayden confirmation is a good time to talk about the NSA intercept program: “Well, really, why isn’t this the perfect occasion to hash it out about the program? If it is not made a central issue in the confirmation, I think I’m going to assume that the critics believe that airing the issue will hurt them.”

By nominating Hayden, I think that Bush has said that already.