The Washignton decoder.

• Position: 10 MILES SQUARE - Excerpt

This month: Excerpts from a leaked May 18, 2006, letter from Intelligence Committee Chair Pete Hoeskstra to President Bush.

THE WASHINGTON DECODER Excerpts from Translation Hoekstra Letter Dear Mr. President ... First, I am First, I thought we had a plan concerned that the nominations to staff the CIA with rightwing for Director and Deputy Director shills. These choices suck. of the Central Intelligence Agency signal a retreat from needed reforms of the Agency ... ... and I think it would be an And you shafted us. understatement to say that I am disappointed that Congress was never consulted on either of these choices. Collaboration is what got us But you're only shafting yourself. successful intelligence reform. Why should we want to eschew such a process and relationship that proved so helpful? [T]here was such hope for progress Remember? We were so set to shaft after 9/11 and the successful...