Hayden Hatin'

Amid all the celebration of Hayden as an independent-minded guy, TNR's Spencer Ackerman argues that when the law and his bosses' desires have been in conflict, Hayden has always sided with the latter.

That should be particularly troubling given that the CIA is still doing legally iffy things (to be kind) like water-boarding and using secret prisons.  As it happens, Hayden dodged questions about how the McCain ammendment and other laws might restrict those activities. In other words, when it comes to the law, he looks like a company man--in the company of bad men.