Thanks for the explanation. Appreciate it.

Please tell me they don't also use the phrase "The customer is always right".

Used to, in the Office of Special Plans.

Please tell me they don't also use the phrase "The customer is always right".

It depends on how much they tip.

In the intelligence world, there are "producers" and "customers" of product. It's an explicit analogy to the business world, meant to focus intelligence agencies on the fact that they are working for specific end users with specific needs and concerns, which guides the producer's budgets and priorities.

Please tell me they don't also use the phrase "The customer is always right".

As to why this is a concern to intelligence, I can't say. I suppose if an incumbant were running, the CIA would already have been supplying information to the incumbant for the last four or so years. This election, the CIA is guaranteed to have a new relationship that begins Jan. 20.

This is totally bizarre, and completely at odds with everything I know about the man. Something is seriously out of whack here, but I don't know if it's Gen Hayden or something else.

"customer"?

Huh?

In the intelligence world, there are "producers" and "customers" of product. It's an explicit analogy to the business world, meant to focus intelligence agencies on the fact that they are working for specific end users with specific needs and concerns, which guides the producer's budgets and priorities.

Hayden's mistake about the incumbent thing I can't explain. It's a little concerning.

That's what I thought at first, too, but it doesn't quite make sense--he's saying that our "top customer" won't be. Nothing about the ballot per se.

Huh?