This CIA crisis is big and bad

As David notes below, a number of very senior CIA officials are quitting in protest of the incompetence of Bush's new CIA director Porter Gos and his staff. Not only has the Deputy Direct of the CIA quit - that's the number 2 guy at the entire agency, and a very seasoned career official - but the Deputy Director of Operation has also quit. The Depty Dir. of Operations is the head of the spooks - i.e., the undercover operatives.

In a nutshell, the Bush administration has now politicized the CIA, and the agencies most experienced staff are now fleeing the sinking ship. It's difficult to explain how big a sin it is to politicize the CIA. It isn't done. The CIA exists to discover the non-partian, unbiased "truth" to the best of its abilities. It is NOT a place for partisan hacks (think Rumsfeld's yes-sir goons at the Pentagon). This mass exodus is a big hit to the CIA, and more generally, a big hit to our country's security.

These are NOT heads rolling because the people leaving are incompetent. These are COMPETENT people leaving because the CIA director and his immediate staff are incompetent. That is scary.

But hey, 51% of American voted for these idiots. And now they're, and we're, paying the price with our national security.

Again, this is a big BIG deal. And very scary.