Clang

The nightly network newscasts last night showed Gen. Michael Hayden making the rounds of Senators in his quest for confirmation as Director of the CIA. There he was--just when a number of influential Republicans have questioned the wisdom of having a military man head our premier civilian intelligence agency--in full four-star Air Force uniform.

Do we really want the holder of such a high intelligence post to be someone who shows such insensitivity to the political winds?

It's not as if the General had to wear his uniform. The Duke of Wellington never wore a general's tunic in battle, preferring a fox-hunting coat (blue, not the red of the British Army uniform). Traditionally, officers of the US Army shed uniforms as soon as they were off duty. A close friend of my family was a high-ranking naval JAG officer. We visited him at the Pentagon two or three times. He always wore a suit, as did most high naval officers walking around the building. Gen. Hayden, who serves in a civilian post as deputy to Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte, could easily wear civvies. His choice to go around the Senate offices flashing his stars says a lot for his cast of mind--none of it good.