Rebuilding The CIA?

There's an article in the New York Times today telling us that the Firing of Mary McCarthy is just part of an overall policy of trying to return the CIA to a "culture of secrecy".

Gee, that would be nice. As we pointed out yesterday, the real problem is trust. Or lack thereof. Who wants to trust secrets to an agency that simply cannot keep a secret?

Mr. Goss has repeatedly expressed unhappiness with what he sees as the laxity of C.I.A. employees and retirees in discussing agency matters. He has taken up the cause of tightening information controls across the board, partly in response to calls from the White House, the Congressional intelligence committees and the presidential commission on weapons of mass destruction.

But in a way, the Times reveals a hint of what is wrong in the first place. In describing how the board that reviews former employee's writings has tightened the rules, I count no less than seven somewhat disgruntled authors. Not to be too snarky here; is that the tip of the iceberg? Is that the real problem? Are too many people working at the CIA who want to become famous authors? If the Times could come up with seven, how many more are there?

It would be nice if the CIA could somehow stop the budding writers from leaking out secrets. It appears as if  budding authors and openly political types may have become entirely too normal in an agency that must keep secrets. At this point, it's not at all clear that the CIA can be reformed.