Gen as CIA chief: Lawmakers say no

Washington: Air Force General Michael Hayden, the expected nominee to be the next chief of the CIA, is running into criticism from lawmakers unhappy that a military official would lead the civilian spy agency.

President George W. Bush was expected to name Hayden to replace outgoing CIA Director Porter Goss as early as Monday, before leaving in the afternoon on a three-day trip to Florida.

"I do believe he's the wrong person, the wrong place, at the wrong time," House Intelligence Committee Chairman Peter Hoekstra, a Republican, said on Fox News on Sunday.

"We should not have a military person leading a civilian agency at this time." he added.

Hoekstra said having a general in charge of the CIA could create the impression among agents around the world that the agency is under Pentagon control, at a time when the Defense Department and CIA have "ongoing tensions."

If Hayden were nominated and confirmed, military officers would run all the major spy agencies, from the ultra-secret National Security Agency to the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter, a Republican, said he would use a Hayden nomination to raise questions about the legality of the program and did not rule out holding it up until he gets answers.

"I'm not going to draw any lines in the sand until I see how the facts evolve," Specter said on Fox news.

White House insiders tried to shrug off suggestions that Hayden's military experience could become a serious issue.

They said that they welcome a fight over the domestic eavesdropping programme- an issue that Bush certainly has not avoided.

Hayden has his defenders on Capitol Hill. Republican Senator John McCain said he hopes he could be confirmed.

"In all due respect to my colleagues, and I obviously respect their views, General Hayden is really more of an intelligence person than he is an Air Force officer," McCain said on Face the Nation on CBS.

"I think that we should also remember that there had been other former military people who have been directors of the CIA," he added.