Ever since 9/11, the biggest epithet an outsider can hurl at the CIA is that it’s “risk-averse.” Nothing, but nothing, rankles agency officials and operatives more than hearing that they’re not willing to do whatever it takes to defend the country. So when agency officials start throwing knives at one another, it’s the charge that someone has contributed to risk-aversion, real or perceived, that cuts the deepest. Looking back, that’s exactly what Mike Hayden did when he released Inspector General John Helgerson’s report into the CIA and 9/11 in August.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=179632