Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, President Bush's new nominee to head the CIA, is a highly respected military man with extensive intelligent experience. But Hayden's past work was more grounded in the signal intelligence he oversaw at the National Security Agency than the human intelligence he would have to oversee at the CIA.
Speaking of Hayden Monday, the president said the general is "the right man to lead the CIA at this critical moment in our nation's history." But his confirmation may be rough going. Questions have been raised about Hayden's role in the NSA's controversial wiretapping program and whether he has the right experience for the job.
Gen. Hayden ran the eavesdropping National Security Agency for six years, longer than anyone else. But a key question for senators is whether a military officer who has little experience with human spies can run the CIA.
Earlier in his career, Hayden worked in senior staff jobs and military intelligence posts, serving in Guam, Bulgaria, Germany, Korea. He was deputy chief of staff of U.S. forces in Korea when he was tapped in 1999 to run the NSA.
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