In his remarks to the Council on Foreign Relations last week, General Michael Hayden, the latest Roman Catholic director of the Central Intelligence Agency said:

"First, our analysts assess with high confidence that al Qaeda's central leadership is planning high-impact plots against the American homeland.

Second, those same analysts assess -- again, with high confidence -- that al Qaeda has protected or regenerated key elements of its homeland attack capability...

And third, we assess -- once again, with high confidence -- that al Qaeda is focusing on targets that would produce mass casualties, dramatic destruction and significant economic aftershocks. "

-- CFR transcript (2007-09)

Gen. Hayden, the former Director of the National Security Agency, is a career military intelligence officer. It is significant that he chose to deliver his remarks at the CFR, the flagship organization which has dominated U.S. foreign policy (including the CIA leadership) since its inception. The American public can certainly have "high confidence" that something is afoot. But the question is: what constitutes "al Qaeda's central leadership" today?

Back in the 1980s, when Osama bin Laden and his gang were "freedom fighters" waging jihad against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, it was the CIA that was calling the shots and providing the support. At the time, the Reagan/Bush CIA was led by Roman Catholic director William Casey and his deputy Robert Gates -- who is now Bush's Secretary of Defense.