as advertized by (among others) Brad DeLong "The Progress Report" is excellent. Via the progress report, here I learn that DCI nominee Porter Goss proposed that the CIA charter be amended to read
"the CIA “may not exercise police, subpoena, or law enforcement powers within the United States.”
except as otherwise permitted by law or as directed by the president.”"

Isikoff and Hosenball quote "“This language on its face would have allowed President Nixon to authorize the CIA to bug the Democratic National Committee headquarters,” Jeffrey H. Smith, who served as general counsel of the CIA between 1995 and 1996, told NEWSWEEK. “I can’t imagine what Porter had in mind.”"

Hmmm back to Brad who wrote "Eugene: It's self-parody--albeit not intentional self-parody. Consider two other, similar examples that I ran into today: The first comes from the Weston Kosova and Michael Isikoff review of Bill Clinton's My Life. ... .To ask Isikoff to review Clinton is like asking someone tone-deaf to review a performance of Beethoven's "Eroica". The element of self-parody--unintentional self-parody--is there, especially as Isikoff and his editors repeatedly fail to grasp that they are tone-deaf, and are thus not hearing and incompetent to review the symphony. Where others see the real business of government--real policies with complicated and uncertain effects on millions of real people's lives--they see only the Gedrosian Desert. ". I think maybe he owes Isikoff an apology (although Monica Lewinsky still has the right to be mad at Isikoff).

Still the Porter Goss confirmation hearings should be fun. Let's review (without bothering with links) : Goss says he will investigate the Plame outing if someone sends him a blue dress and some DNA, Goss says chemical and biological weapons are more dangerous than nuclear weapons and that, because Bush was tough with them, North Korea stopped their nuclear weapons program. Of course I don't disagree with everything Goss says. He told Michael Moores producers that he was not qualified to work for the CIA.

I think his skills would be better used if he were sent to inspect the Gedrosian desert for WMD.