Sputnik — Pot Meet Kettle: Why Hayden's Attack on Trump Sounds Hypocritical

Former G.W. Bush-era NSA and CIA head Michael Hayden has joined the ranks of Trump's social media critics, tweeting that the president's "outrageous assault" on press freedom makes him feel like he's "wasted 40 years of [his] life." However, Hayden's record doesn't exactly inspire confidence in his newfound role as defender of the Constitution.…

The outpouring of support for George W. Bush's CIA & NSA chief — who oversaw torture, rendition, illegal domestic spying and an array of other evils — is so moving: "No, General Hayden, your career was not wasted!" https://t.co/Q1A2S7TT68— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 27, 2017

Sputnik International
Pot Meet Kettle: Why Hayden's Attack on Trump Sounds Hypocritical

David Francis — Former CIA Chief: Carson’s Instincts the Foreign-Policy Class of the GOP Presidential Field

Is former CIA director Michael Hayden feeding Ben Carson?

Foreign Policy
Former CIA Chief: Carson’s Instincts the Foreign-Policy Class of the GOP Presidential Field

David Francis

ht Lambert Strether at Naked Capitalism

Ray McGovern — ‘Most significant break between Germany and US since WWII’

So Hayden here is not the most diplomatic person in the world. He is trying to tell Merkel and everyone else who is outside the [Five Eyes intelligence alliance] - the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand - that they are secondary citizens and they will remain so as long as they don’t spring to obedience the way the other four do.

Might be more than just being obedient. Note that the Five eyes are all Anglo countries that together comprise the historical development of the British Empire and whose destinies are closely intertwined. This is the new empire that has succeeded to global hegemony and is determined to maintain this through military control of sea, air and land based on economic might. This cannot be lost on the rest of the world since it is so obvious. Is Germany questioning whether this arrangement is in its interest.

RT
‘Most significant break between Germany and US since WWII’
Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst

Gabriel Black — Former NSA chief Hayden praises Obama for “doubling down” on Bush-era spying

Michael Hayden, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and National Security Agency (NSA), used a lecture at Oxford University Monday to candidly praise the Obama administration for constructing and exponentially strengthening the NSA’s illegal spying apparatus.

Hayden told his Oxford audience that while many people see Obama as being “quite different” than Bush, he had in fact “doubled down” on the NSA’s global espionage system.

In the 90 minute address, titled “My Government, My Security and Me,” Hayden also stressed that there was little support within US government circles for offering any kind of plea deal to former NSA contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Referring to the speech delivered by Obama last month announcing supposed “reforms” to the NSA’s operations, Hayden stated, “The president is essentially trading some restraint, some oversight, in order to keep on doing fundamentally what he has been doing.”

Put in the plainest terms: the government is employing some window-dressing to quell popular outrage over the NSA’s colossal ongoing violation of the Constitution and is also trying to ensure that leaks do not threaten the secret program’s legitimacy in the future. As the WSWS noted at the time, “the only measure that is likely to be enacted is a proposal to institute strict new vetting and security policies designed to prevent anyone from following in the footsteps of Edward Snowden.”

World Socialist Web Site
Former NSA chief Hayden praises Obama for “doubling down” on Bush-era spying

Gabriel Black