Cowboys and Eggheads -- Bill Kellerr, New York Times
My Times colleague Mark Mazzetti has a new book out that is getting a lot of attention, including some cinematic excerpts published in The Times, here and here. “The Way of the Knife” recounts the recent transformation of the Central Intelligence Agency from a traditional spying shop into more of a man-hunting paramilitary — custodian of lethal drones, sponsor of dark ops, employer of secret armies and shady contractors.
As an assassination bureau, the C.I.A. has had some spectacular successes. (The Navy Seal raid that killed Osama bin Laden was led by the C.I.A.) It has also come in for some fierce criticism from those who are uncomfortable with assassination in general, with the eerily impersonal methods of remote killing, with the civilian casualties, or with the timid oversight of an agency licensed to kill. And of course the demand for operational intelligence to aid these manhunts drove the C.I.A. into the practice of torture and rendition.
Read more ....
My Comment: The CIA stepped into this role of special operations because no one else was suited to do the job. There are also legal ramifications and guidelines that do not permit the military to do what the CIA now does .... unless the law is changed which I doubt that the White House and Congress will be willing to do. As to intelligence gathering and analysis .... this is now being conducted other agencies .... NSA, Defense Intelligence Agency, etc..