Goss facing approval this week to head CIA

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Rep. Porter Goss, R-Fla., sailed through a second day of Senate questions Monday, en route to becoming the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Facing certain approval by the Senate Intelligence Committee Tuesday and the whole Senate Wednesday, Goss was asked few questions by GOP Senators on the panel, but he got more questions from Democrats about his ability to remain nonpartisan and push for reform.

Democratic Sens. John Rockefeller of West Virginia and Ron Wyden of Oregon continued questioning Goss' failure to push for significant reform as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee for the past seven years. They also questioned his close ties with the agency and partisan attacks on the intelligence record of Democrats and presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.

For his part, Goss assured the lawmakers he would separate his political leanings from his new role, something they clearly doubt by their line of questioning.