Goss leaves debate over CIA in his wake

Re “Prospect of General at CIA Fuels Misgivings,” May 8

Democratic Party leaders have been touting a handful of retired generals as experts superior to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld in understanding the situation in Iraq. Now those same Democrats are throwing a tantrum that Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden has been nominated to replace a civilian political appointee as head of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Almost five years ago, the Democratic Party decided it was more expedient to fight the administration than to fight terror. How utterly amazing that they still can’t decide what they’re for or against.

PETER W. LEWIS

Trabuco Canyon

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The resignation of Porter Goss as director of the CIA provides the opportunity of following the great Sen. Patrick Moynihan’s recommendation that the CIA be abolished. True, we need to know what the other fellow is doing. But the CIA was conceived at the end of World War II as the way the U.S. could fight as dirty as any other nation. So we needed in a bad world something as evil as the Soviet KGB. This has done more to destroy the goodwill formerly enjoyed by the U.S. around the world than anything we’ve done.

In addition, even in the intelligence arena, the CIA has failed us on many important issues in the last 20 years. Let’s start over with something in keeping with our core values.

T. WILLARD HUNTER

Claremont