In a major shake-up of the Obama administration’s intelligence team, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair is leaving his post. White House officials said Obama sought Blair’s resignation. Blair, 63, had fallen into disfavor following the Fort Hood shootings, the failed attempt to bomb a Detroit-bound airliner last Christmas Day, and the failed Times Square bombing plot. He also clashed with CIA Director Leon Panetta over budgets and personnel appointments.
Blair’s departure has renewed talk about overhauling the National Intelligence Directorate, created after 9/11 to coordinate intelligence among the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies. His successor has not been named.
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