Tmj,

I’ve always considered that the true initial purpose of Homeland Security was to provide a vehicle for offloading other agency deadwood. That was the whole point of the fight on creating it. The Dems wanted the retention rules that make firing a deadbeat very difficult at their home agency kept for Homeland Security. Under the previous rules the transferred individuals would retain their “unfirable” status in the new agency. Instead the new agency’s employment policies are much closer to private industries. The transferring agencies undoubtedly culled a good number of their deadbeats and sent them to Homeland. I expect that agency to become fairly efficient in another 4-5 years. OTOH I don’t expect any improvement at State or the CIA period. Those places are the Peter Principle personified – no one ever gets fired they just get reassigned to ever diminshing roles. That’s what happened to Wilson and that’s probably why he quit. He was passed over for advancement and the Saudis offered him a better deal.

I would not be aurprised at all to see a new “intelligence” agency established on the same basis as Homeland. It can’t happen until after the election but I’d bet that plans are being laid today.