This photograph, which I posted last week, has become only more ironic with today's news.

Talk about Saturday night massacre. And Goss's close staff are almost certain to depart with him, Rep. Jane Harman just said on NPR. Will the last one left turn off the light?

Meantime, Justin hears of concerns other than Foggo, and that Goss's staff had already been putting out feelers for other jobs in the past couple weeks.

Kevin Drum has rounded up more theories.

Update: Spencer Ackerman gets a flat out denial from CIA public affairs that Goss's resignation has anything to do with CIA Executive Director Dusty Foggo. Bill Kristol seems a tad skeptical that Goss would resign so suddenly without a connection to a very recent event.

More from Time, on the tension between Negroponte and Goss.

Update II: The Agency spokespeople think they may be out soon too, with the kind of housecleaning that goes on when directors change.

Update III: NBC, "Negroponte, with the backing of the White House, raised with Goss the prospect that he should leave, and the two talked about that possibility, a senior administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to provide a fuller account of what happened."

Yes, that is part of it. But why the sudden, surprise decision; why did Goss not say, as one would traditionally expect to project stability, that he would be staying on until his successor is confirmed, as Bill Kristol pointed out; why did the kind of turf war tensions that have long plagued every administration and certainly this one result in this sudden resignation, when such turmoil hasn't resulted in the departure of a half dozen other high level officials?

Posted by Laura at May 5, 2006 04:15 PM