Michael J. Kelly [Creighton University School of Law]: "With Porter Goss's resignation as CIA director, President Bush is presented with an opportunity to make real and lasting changes to a broken intelligence system. The cosmetic changes of two years ago (putting John Negroponte into a newly independent oversight post of Director of National Intelligence and blurring some of the lines between the 14 federal intelligenge agencies) did little to address the sweeping changes offered up by the 9/11 commission and members of Congress. In fact, the CIA continues to sink ever more deeply to the abyss of public skepticism as more abuses come to light involving torture, detention, rendition to third countries and the use of secret "black sites" where suspects remain hidden from public scrutiny indefinitely.

This, of course, is a disturbing background for an agency that has been given assassination privileges upon presidential intelligence findings – the CIA these days is using armed Predator drones to take out "suspected" terrorists. What emerges is a picture of an unaccountable agency that is spinning wildly (and dangerously) out of control. With Goss's departure and Bush's re-election safely in hand, the president can utilize this unique opportunity of not having to face voters again and really shake up the intelligence community in such a way that moves us further from the model of fighting the Cold War against the now non-existent KGB and more toward the model of engaging an enemy that is more unpredictable, unascertainable, and stubbornly impenetrable. Hopefully the president's new Chief of Staff, Josh Bolten, understands this long-term strategic need as well as he understood the short-term political need to shake up the White House staff."