Should McConnell be confirmed? He's up to his eyeballs in

[babylonsister]

money from the huge government contracts awarded to Booz Allen; he was a senior VP. Shades of Cheney and Halliburton?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-01-04-mcconnell_x.htm

Nominee played big role in outsourcing intelligence

By Matt Kelley and Richard Willing, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — J. Michael "Mike" McConnell, in line to become the nation's top intelligence official, has been a leading figure in outsourcing U.S intelligence operations to private industry, records and interviews show.

McConnell, a retired Navy vice admiral, led the National Security Agency from 1992 to 1996 before joining Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., a consulting firm based in McLean, Va.

White House officials confirmed McConnell's appointment to replace Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte but declined to be identified by name because the nomination has not been formally announced.

snip//

Booz Allen has received at least $50 million in Pentagon contracts since November 2005, records show. Some involve remnants of the Pentagon's "Total Information Awareness" program. Congress killed the program in 2003 amid concerns it would invade the privacy of ordinary Americans.

The $63 million contract signed with Booz Allen in 2002 called for the firm to develop a single system to collect and search through huge databases of government, personal and business records for signs of terrorist activities. McConnell signed that contract on Booz Allen's behalf.

snip//

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, says he will question McConnell about the program and intelligence contracting.

"It's a critical concern," says Wyden, who led the efforts to kill TIA in 2002.

Contributing: David Jackson

[951-Riverside]

1. He will be confirmed

I don't understand why they waste time on the process these days.

[Virginia Dare]

2. This is all about privatizing intelligence...

another ominous sign for our country.

[ellisonz]

3. No. Got to draw the line somewhere...

Stop him in committee...

MANDATE!

:evilgrin:

[leveymg]

4. Decision to privatize NSA was made during the 1990s,and was carried out

by Gen. Hayden, who succeeded McConnell.

There's no question that the private contractors have been instrumental in the illegal, warrantless surveillance during the Bush Administration. Probably, BA, along with the others. However, these companies are going to try to hide behind a shield that they were given those tasks by the federal agencies and had assurances from the very top of the Justice Department that what they were doing was legal.