With last week's premiere of conspiracy-weaving director Oliver Stone's "Snowden," acolytes and supporters of the former National Security Agency contractor are beating the drum for pardon, clemency or at least a sweetheart pretrial plea bargain to prepare for his triumphal return home. Published September 21, 2016
Last Friday was getaway day for a three-day holiday weekend as a Gulf hurricane was making landfall in Florida. So we had every right to expect a significant dump of controversial documents by the federal government while we were so distracted. Published September 6, 2016
As we approach Labor Day, conversations in the Hayden household, as in most of America I suspect, have been trending toward the upcoming presidential election. Published August 23, 2016
There's a whole lot of "truthiness" going on in the 2016 presidential campaign. Published August 18, 2016
Dramatic headlines about cyberthreats are filling the pages of our newspapers. Calls for action are heard daily. So far, though, we have not evidenced the determination and resolve with which we faced the Sputnik challenge. Published August 4, 2016
I recently joined other former security officials to urge the United States government to be generous to Syrian and other refugees driven from their homes by today's conflicts. We brought out the usual arguments: We need to live up to our historical heritage as a refuge and, besides, failing to provide haven would prolong the kind of global disorder that ultimately makes us all less safe. Published June 28, 2016
There has been a lot of talk lately about the intelligence briefings that the presidential candidates will soon receive. Published May 24, 2016
It's been six months since I've appeared in these pages. That gap hasn't been about a boycott or a contract dispute. Actually, The Washington Times has been rather generous, giving me that time to finish a book, get it cleared through the intelligence community review process and then endure an aggressive countrywide book tour organized by my publisher, Penguin. Published May 9, 2016
Like many other American families this holiday season, the Hayden clan will set aside time to, once again, watch Frank Capra's 1946 classic, "It's a Wonderful Life." Published November 24, 2015
A few years ago, I told a group at a counterterrorism conference that I thought the best possible outcome of the civil war in Syria was that President Bashar Assad's regime would win and keep control of the country. Published September 28, 2015
Politicization -- the shading of analysis to fit prevailing policy or politics -- is the harshest criticism one can make of an intelligence organization. It strikes beyond questions of competence to the fundamental ethic of the enterprise, which is, or should be, truth telling. Published September 24, 2015
So here we are. Most Americans and most members of Congress oppose the nuclear deal with Iran. But because of global politics and the corner we have painted ourselves into, an outright rejection could even be worse. Published September 10, 2015
So in Tuesday's column, I wrote on my anger about aspects of the Iranian nuclear deal, but I promised to get over it and move on to a stage I called recognition. Published September 9, 2015
Despite the saga over Hillary Clinton's emails, Donald Trump's sprint to front-runner status in the Republican presidential race and some interesting pennant races, the news this summer has never drifted far from the nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Published September 8, 2015
Secrets. Spies. Statutes. Secretaries. Sounds like free association triggered by some of the stories making the rounds on the 24/7 news networks. Published August 4, 2015
The hot topic around the Capital for the past 10 days has been the Iran nuclear deal. First, we've seen the Obama administration's hard sell. President Obama last week was knowledgeable, confident and combative in several lengthy soliloquies on the deal before the press corps in the East Room. He was also dismissive and delegitimizing of any opposition. Published July 22, 2015
Jimmie Breslin borrowed a line from manager Casey Stengel to title his chronicle of the worst team in baseball history, the 1962 Mets. Stengel plaintively asked, "Can't Anybody Here Play This Game?" Given recent events, Americans could be asking the same question about their government's cyber performance. Published June 24, 2015
The Secretary of State was understandably trying to put the best face on a bad situation, but he was letting the political and policy needs of the moment out run the facts. Published June 17, 2015
With last week's failure of the Senate to pass, scrap or amend the Patriot Act and that body returning early this coming Sunday to try again, it might be a good time to review the bidding. Published May 27, 2015
One way of looking at the federal government is that part of it is permanent and another part of it is transient. The transient government comprises those elected officials and political appointees who change when administrations change. Published May 20, 2015
