dennis blair quits reasons why

Former National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair, who stepped down from his post on Thursday, knew that his days in office were numbered. At a recent speech, he joked that Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb would be his replacement. Press leaks and turf wars marked his 16 months atop the fractious intelligence community. Blair is the third person to hold the position of DNI director. The post was created after the 9/11 attacks to try to unite disparate U.S. intelligence agencies. Blair's exit shines a light on the continuing difficulty of that task—one that was identified by the 9/11 Commission as an essential change.