This week
President Bush nominated Florida Representative Porter Goss as
the new director of the CIA. Bush says of Goss,”He knows
the CIA inside and out” and “He’s the right
man to lead this important agency at this critical moment in our
nation’s history.”
However, in an interview in March, 2004 by producers of Michael
Moore’s “Farenheit 911”, Goss contradicted Bush’s
claim. Goss said, “I couldn’t get a job with CIA today.
I am not qualified. I don’t have the language skills. I,
you know, my language skills were romance languages and stuff.
We’re looking for Arabists today. I don’t have the
cultural background probably. And I certainly don’t have
the technical skills, uh, as my children remind me every day,
‘Dad you got to get better on your computer.’ Uh,
so, the things that you need to have, I don’t have”.
Goss may be
his own worst detractor in congressional confirmation hearings,
thanks to Michael Moore.
For a video clip of the actual interview, and related articles,
click on the link below to Michael Moore’s website:
http://www.michaelmoore.com
Also recommended reading on Michael Moore’s site is “The
Case Against George W. Bush” by Ron Reagan.
Filmmaker
Moore Quotes Goss on Lack of CIA Credentials
By David Morgan / Reuters - 11 August 2004
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Congressman Porter Goss, President
Bush's nominee for CIA director, could be his own worst enemy
when it comes to making the case that he deserves to lead the
U.S. intelligence agency.
"I couldn't get a job with CIA today. I am not qualified,"
the Florida Republican told documentary-maker Michael Moore's
production company during the filming of the anti-Bush movie "Fahrenheit
9/11."
A day after Bush picked Goss for the top U.S. spy job, Moore on
Wednesday released an excerpt from a March 3 interview in which
the 65-year-old former House of Representatives intelligence chief
recounts his lack of qualifications for employment as a modern
CIA staffer.
"I don't have the language skills. I, you know, my language
skills were romance languages and stuff. We're looking for Arabists
today. I don't have the cultural background probably," Goss
is quoted in an interview transcript.
"And I certainly don't have the technical skills, uh, as
my children remind me every day: 'Dad you got to get better on
your computer.' Uh, so, the things that you need to have, I don't
have."
Goss, who served with the CIA clandestine services in Latin America
and Europe in the 1960s, was not immediately available for comment.
He appears in Moore's film, the most financially successful documentary
in history, during a segment devoted to the USA Patriot Act, an
anti-terrorism measure.
Moore told Reuters that Goss, who until Tuesday was chairman of
the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence,
granted an interview to two of his producers without first checking
to see who they worked for.
"You'd think the person who was the head of the intelligence
committee would ask a few more questions," said Moore.
"The reality is that Porter Goss was in charge of the oversight
of the CIA during a time when the CIA didn't do its job, which
in part resulted in the loss of lives of 3,000 people," he
said via telephone from New York.
A White House
spokesman declined to comment specifically on the Goss interview
but described the lawmaker as "the most qualified man for
the job."
Goss is expected to appear at confirmation hearings before the
Senate intelligence committee next month.
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