WHEN WILL WE GET OSAMA BIN LADEN? AIN'T DEAD YET, AFTERALL?

TIME's Timothy J. Burger reported on his interview with Porter Goss, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, today in TIME's From the Magazine online: 10 Questions For Porter Goss. Some excerpts:

IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA OF WHERE HE IS. WHERE? "I have an excellent idea of where he is. ....when you go to the very difficult question of dealing with sanctuaries in sovereign states, you're dealing with a problem of our sense of international obligation, fair play. We have to find a way to work in a conventional world in unconventional ways that are acceptable to the international community. "

Reader's Comment #1: If we are hit again in our homeland, Osama can kiss his butt goodbye.

COULD AL-QAEDA HIT US AGAIN? "Yes, it could. Certainly the intent is very high. And we are trying to stay ahead of their capability. And so far, I think we have done pretty well carrying the war to them.."

Reader's Comment #2: The likelihood of another Al-Qaeda attack on American soil is no more than 5% (1 chance in 20, or less).

COULD THE U.S. GO TO WAR AGAIN BASED ON FALSE INTELLIGENCE? "I would not agree to surmise that America has gone to war based on false intelligence. I would say that the right question is: Should America be checking out threats to America? The answer is yes. And will we find some threats were more talk than real? Yes, we will."

Reader's Question #3: What was the CIA doing before 9/11 with all of the taxpayer dollars it spent? Why would taxpayers believe more of their hard earned dollars should ever go to the government? How ineffective are other government agencies, if the CIA was a disaster at preventing disaster?

note: After 60 years as the spearhead of American intelligence, the CIA director no longer attends National Security Council (NSC) meetings routinely. John Negroponte, the new director of National Intelligence, has taken that chair. Goss and Negropinte, however schooled together at Yale.