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Is America Ready For A Spymistress?

By Michael Scherer | @michaelscherer | December 16, 2009 | +

TIME’s Bobby Ghosh files this report:

For only the second time in the CIA’s history, a woman has risen to the No. 3 position. Director Leon Panetta today announced that Stephanie O’Sullivan is the new Associate Deputy Director, replacing Scott White, a 39-year veteran who is retiring.

O’Sullivan is among a tiny number of women who have come close to the summit at the leading U.S. intelligence organizations. Unlike Britain, where the MI5 was led by Stella Rimington from 1992-96, and by Eliza Manningham-Buller from 2002-07 (and in fiction, Judi Dench has been James Bond’s boss ‘M’ since 1995’s GoldenEye), neither the CIA nor the FBI has ever been headed by a woman.

The No. 3 position at the Agency was previously designated Executive Director, and only one woman had held that post: Nora Slatkin, in the mid-1990s. Joan Dempsey was the CIA’s Deputy Director of Community Management from 1998-2003, but her job was somewhat narrowly defined as the Agency’s liaison with the rest of the intelligence community. O’Sullivan, on the other hand, will be the equivalent of a Chief Operations Officer in the private sector, working directly under Panetta’s deputy, Steve Kappes.

At the FBI, cryptologist Maureen Baginsky headed the directorate of domestic intelligence during the Bush administration.

“It’s pretty remarkable that we’ve had three women Secretaries of State, but no woman at the head of FBI or CIA,” says Amy Zegart, a national-security expert at UCLA.

O’Sullivan previously led the CIA’s directorate of science and technology. “She is a great steward of resources and goes the extra mile to develop our people, giving officers at all levels opportunities to learn and grow,” Panetta said in a statement.  A civil engineer by training, O’Sullivan started her intel career in the Office of Naval Intelligence, and joined the CIA in 1995.

O’Sullivan’s old job at the CIA’s directorate of science and technology now goes to Glenn Gaffney, who returns to the Agency from secondment to the Directorate of National Intelligence.

In case you were wondering, women make up 45% of the CIA’s workforce.

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  • palininatowel

    But she could be compromised by a suave, debonair James Bond-type al Qaeda operative!

    Couldn’t she?

  • deconstructiva

    I guess Mata Hari and Judi Dench aren’t available. BTW, please fix typos in your para. 2 / Judi Dench sentence. If you won’t fix them to please us, do it for Daniel Craig. MI6 will thank you.

  • dollared

    Michael, this is patronizing and trivial. America is in its worst crisis since the 1940s, and you play around.

    You are smart. You could help. Please help us take you seriously.

  • gysgt213

    “Is America Ready For A Spymistress?”
    .
    America needs to get over its self. Other countries have women leading the entire shooting match.

  • Ivy_B

    And have had women in charge for a very long time.

  • abdullah69

    As long as it is not Britney Spears, Lady Gaga or Sarah Palin, who cares?

  • xarchenko

    History of Ukraine contains all roads which pass through its state is the state of the Black and Caspian Sea states of Europe and the Russian Federation and Belarus and the Baltic States. In this environment, Ukraine was and will be, but you should know about the many communities of national minorities in Ukraine, which should assist the indigenous population to win the victory over Russian chauvinism and cynicism.
    Many professors from the science of physics know what the torsion fields, which affect the human brain, and at different frequencies program commands to perform the person will be in it in the brain. This experiment was prepared and holding extensive amount in Ukraine during the Orange Revolution, the square of the capital and major cities of Ukraine. During the Orange Revolution, where I took part in rallies, I was surprised by the behavior of a video camera operator, who runs a video camera on the faces of people actively speakers for Yushchenko and Ukraine’s future. Why people who participated in the election of President Yushchenko and the future of Ukraine, located in a large garden and joy (remember the first speech by President of Czechia) after the election. I am a former journalist was surprised not competent operator, because the video camera does not include dae signal on a video shoot. To me, at my invitation arriving Jaroslav Ksonzhek, Consul of Poland, where our conversation and confirmed abuse of the Moscow government. It turns out that Moscow is continuing research to control and possess the human brain. It turns out that Putin is in this regard will have the state not only Europe and America but to solve their business programs. Carrying gas pipe through the Baltic States. I want to thank the many Jew for their help when I conducted an investigation, rabbi warned their communities do not come to the square, then be bad for health and psychological disorder. In order to save not only the state president, people, foreign embassies are located in Ukraine, I send the mail letters and telegrams to the President, but in the presidential administration or the children sit or bureaucrats. I understand that Ukraine is very far from your country and therefore should be realistic and simple plan for withdrawal from such situations. You may be surprised by my feeling high torsion fields “But I believe in God and constantly attend Protestant church Evangelicals, Bible study, psychology, folklore, cultural studies, analytics, folk music and songs. Second great experience to travel by military enterprises of when I worked in a factory where assembly consisted of turbines in Krivoy Rog. So I like the saying: The wisdom of man checks only way direction and goals. To convey to the President of Ukraine is a question I have for the first time in its life wrote a letter to the USА Embassy Vil’yamu Taylor, knowing that letters to foreign embassies can check (I wrote the text of the letter to enter a deadlock that people check messages on Post Office in Kiev ) counting on professional psychologists embassy. Maybe my innocence and romanticism great kindness not give me a quiet life, so I thought that everything will be like in the movies. For example, Come from Kiev or the USА embassy good man, and on home phone inviting meeting in Dnipropetrovsk administration and great pity it is all fairy tale, which shows in the film. How can I feel a major role analysis on various issues when I sent a fax wife Ekaterina Yushchenko president and then president’s wife appealed to the USА Ambassador (because her aides have not read Catherine fax). So no one sees me as an expert, thinking that I am working with the USА Embassy, President of Ukraine in 2006, invited himself to the USА Ambassador and the Ambassador of Poland. Unfortunately there is not securing for copyrights. Very please note the danger, that Russia may give your country, and protect my copyright on intellectual property, to realize their potential to the benefit of our good relations. Now, please imagine if Russia can use the torsion field during military operations as well as in public (panic, revolution, rebellion and what you want) to be a civil war and chaos in the elections and other companies. If Russia will send a torsion field in the brain of miners from the city of Donetsk, what then will be in Kiev?. Why do I appeal to you Your Majesty, for help! Because you are a patriot of the United States Americas and the state can imagine that a person before the rally (The action darling) can drink tea or coffee active liquid, the influence of torsion fields resulting in a mutation of the body!. This is a question that I have studied, we save lives and you and the President of the United States Americas and many people! And the main thing that Ms. Catherine Chumachenko was born in the United States and was the square with the children. With great respect to you and hope for your tolerance and kindness, Your Majesty. And for me there will be enormous gladness when any man will arrive to me in guests that could make sure in veracity of my moral principles.

    Valeriy Kharchenko, son of Mary Chumachenko father Vladimir Kharchenko. Kirovograd region, Dolinsky district, village Vasylivka.

    city DNIPROPETROVSK 49029
    Street. Заміська 39-1
    phone mobile 380985052947
    home 38056 7166470

    UKRAINE

    xarchenko2009@meta.ua

  • cfukara

    Women no longer just at home and in the kitchen?
    They are no longer your grandpa’s kind of women. They have come a long way.
    They have earned it. Is there a doubt?
    Do you want to volunteer for a, eh, demonstration, MS?

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