Michael V Hayden

The nation's No. 2 intelligence official staunchly defended the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping operations Sunday, the day before what may be highly contentious Senate hearings into the controversial program. Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden, deputy director of national intelligence, said current laws limited the ability of intelligence agencies to detect potential terrorist plots.

Former CIA Director Michael V. Hayden angrily struck back Saturday at assertions that the Bush administration's post-9/11 surveillance program was more far-reaching than imagined and was largely concealed from congressional overseers. In an interview with the Associated Press, Hayden said that top members of Congress were kept well informed all along the way, notwithstanding protests from some that they were kept in the dark.

President Bush's CIA nominee, Gen. Michael V. Hayden, canvassed Capitol Hill on Tuesday addressing Republican and Democratic concerns about a military officer running the civilian agency and about his close ties to the warrantless surveillance program. In a break with the White House, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) said he was surprised by the nomination and concerned about Hayden's background. "I don't think a military guy should be head of CIA, frankly," Hastert said.

Outgoing CIA Director Michael V. Hayden said Thursday that the most pressing issues facing his successor include Iran's nuclear ambitions and surging violence in Mexico -- but not the war in Iraq. Hayden also defended the agency's use of harsh interrogation methods and said he had advised the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama against going too far in dismantling the agency's controversial counter-terrorism programs.

CIA Director Michael V. Hayden said publicly for the first time Tuesday that his agency had used the harsh interrogation technique known as waterboarding on three Al Qaeda suspects, and he testified that depriving the agency of coercive methods would "increase the danger to America."

Congressional officials voiced new concern Tuesday over CIA Director Michael V. Hayden's decision to make the agency's inspector general the target of an internal probe. Seeking to defuse the issue, Robert L. Deitz, a senior CIA attorney in charge of the probe, briefed both the House and Senate intelligence committees Tuesday.

President Bush's apparent choice to run the CIA ran into surprising opposition Sunday as congressional leaders expressed concern about his military background, with one top Republican describing him as "the wrong person, [in] the wrong place, at the wrong time." The White House is believed to be poised to announce as early as today the nomination of Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden to be CIA director. Hayden would succeed Porter J. Goss, who resigned under pressure on Friday.

The Senate Intelligence Committee voted Tuesday to approve Gen. Michael V. Hayden as director of the CIA, endorsing a veteran intelligence officer who has pledged to push the troubled agency to take more risks and work more closely with other U.S. spy services. Hayden now faces a confirmation vote before the full Senate, perhaps as soon as this week. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), chairman of the intelligence panel, called Hayden "a proven leader and an extremely qualified intelligence professional."

Lawmakers leading the Senate investigation of the CIA's destruction of interrogation videotapes said there were gaps in the testimony of CIA Director Michael V. Hayden on Tuesday and outlined plans to call a series of witnesses as part of an expanding probe. "We had a useful and not yet complete hearing," said Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, in comments after the 90-minute, closed-door session with the CIA director.

Top lawmakers from both parties said Sunday that the nomination of Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden as CIA director would hinge on his explanations of a controversial domestic spying program he oversaw as head of the National Security Agency. Hayden is scheduled to testify Thursday publicly and privately before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The lawmakers indicated that they would pull no punches.

CIA Director Michael V. Hayden said Sunday that he believes Iran is still pursuing a nuclear bomb, even though the U.S. intelligence community, including his own agency, reached a consensus judgment last year that the Islamic Republic had halted its nuclear weapons work in 2003. Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" whether he thought Iran was trying to develop a nuclear weapon, Hayden said, "Yes," adding that his assessment was not based on "court-of-law stuff. . . .

CIA Director Michael V. Hayden said publicly for the first time Tuesday that his agency had used the harsh interrogation technique known as waterboarding on three Al Qaeda suspects, and he testified that depriving the agency of coercive methods would "increase the danger to America."

Lawmakers leading the Senate investigation of the CIA's destruction of interrogation videotapes said there were gaps in the testimony of CIA Director Michael V. Hayden on Tuesday and outlined plans to call a series of witnesses as part of an expanding probe. "We had a useful and not yet complete hearing," said Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, in comments after the 90-minute, closed-door session with the CIA director.

The Justice Department and the CIA's Office of the Inspector General said Saturday that they had launched a joint inquiry into the CIA's controversial destruction of videotaped interrogations of two Al Qaeda suspects. The preliminary inquiry would be a first step in determining whether a full investigation and potential criminal charges were warranted. The probe had been under discussion since shortly after CIA Director Michael V.

Congressional officials voiced new concern Tuesday over CIA Director Michael V. Hayden's decision to make the agency's inspector general the target of an internal probe. Seeking to defuse the issue, Robert L. Deitz, a senior CIA attorney in charge of the probe, briefed both the House and Senate intelligence committees Tuesday.

The Senate Intelligence Committee voted Tuesday to approve Gen. Michael V. Hayden as director of the CIA, endorsing a veteran intelligence officer who has pledged to push the troubled agency to take more risks and work more closely with other U.S. spy services. Hayden now faces a confirmation vote before the full Senate, perhaps as soon as this week. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), chairman of the intelligence panel, called Hayden "a proven leader and an extremely qualified intelligence professional."

CIA Director Michael V. Hayden said Sunday that he believes Iran is still pursuing a nuclear bomb, even though the U.S. intelligence community, including his own agency, reached a consensus judgment last year that the Islamic Republic had halted its nuclear weapons work in 2003. Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" whether he thought Iran was trying to develop a nuclear weapon, Hayden said, "Yes," adding that his assessment was not based on "court-of-law stuff. . . .

Outgoing CIA Director Michael V. Hayden said Thursday that the most pressing issues facing his successor include Iran's nuclear ambitions and surging violence in Mexico -- but not the war in Iraq. Hayden also defended the agency's use of harsh interrogation methods and said he had advised the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama against going too far in dismantling the agency's controversial counter-terrorism programs.

Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden vigorously defended the legality of the Bush administration's domestic wiretapping program Thursday and declared that the Central Intelligence Agency "must be transformed" to stay abreast of terrorist and other threats. In an often-contentious hearing on his nomination to be the next CIA director, Hayden fended off questions from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence about his previous job as director of the National Security Agency.

Reversing a position it has held for months, the White House on Tuesday agreed to brief all members of the House and Senate intelligence committees on a controversial domestic wiretapping operation -- just as the architect of the program is facing a contentious confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill. In making the concession, the Bush administration is seeking to improve the prospects of the president's nominee to be the next CIA director, Air Force Gen. Michael V.