WHY DID THE CIA CHIEF UNEXPECTEDLY
RESIGN WITHOUT WARNING OR EXPLANATION?

Okay, this is weird, and, because this was so out of the blue, and because Goss appears to be hightailing it before a successor is named, it appears to not have much to do with Bush rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg, despite how they're spinning it.

From the AP via the Houston Chronicle:

CIA chief steps down

Goss offered little explanation for his resignation in a brief appearance with President Bush, a televised address to agency personnel and a written statement.

"CIA remains the gold standard," he said. "When I came to CIA in September of 2004, I wanted to accomplish some very specific things, and we have made great strides on all fronts."

But the agency, as well as the Bush administration, has been far from peaceful. Goss' departure was the White House's third major personnel move in just over a month, aimed at reinvigorating Bush's second term.

And

Agency officials dismissed suggestions that the resignation was tied to controversy surrounding the CIA's executive director, Kyle "Dusty" Foggo. The FBI is investigating whether Foggo's longtime friend, defense contractor Brent Wilkes, provided prostitutes, limousines and hotel suites to a California congressman who pleaded guilty to taking bribes from Wilkes and others in exchange for government contracts.

Click here for the rest.

Wait a minute. Bribes and hookers? Well, of course, "agency officials" are going to dismiss that, but then, you know, Tom DeLay kept calling his indictment "highly partisan" right up until he announced his resignation. Okay, actually, DeLay is still calling the indictment "highly partisan," but it's still a good point: it is now clear that the GOP is extraordinarily corrupt, and every single one of those mothers under the cloud of scandal denies any wrongdoing at all, even as they're being booked and fingerprinted.

Let's hear a little more about the bribes and hookers.

From AlterNet:

Hookers involved in Goss resignation?

Last week the Wall St. Journal reported the explosive story that lobbyists had been procuring "hospitality suites" (where prostitutes happened to be waiting) for lawmakers like discredited California Republican Duke Cunningham (who, Matthew notes, has already been connected to Goss...).

But, from Old 33 we learn that Harpers' Ken Silverstein did a little digging of his own on the 27th of April: "I've learned from a well-connected source that those under intense scrutiny by the FBI are current and former lawmakers on Defense and Intelligence comittees -- including one person who now holds a powerful intelligence post."

And now, a little over a week later the person who holds the most powerful intelligence post resigns? Hmm. Could be nothing.

Click here for the rest.

Yeah, it could be nothing. Or not. Like I said above, it is now pretty clear that the GOP is now mired in a veritable culture of corruption, where, even if a given Republican isn't breaking the law himself, he's doing all he can to help out those who have. That is to say, bribes and hookers aren't immediately dismissable as simply impossible. Or even improbable. It remains to be seen what's really happening here, but I suppose you can imagine what I think it is: Goss quit because he's about to be up to his neck in corruption charges.

I hope they nail him to the wall.

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