Obama Picks Leon Panetta to Head CIA

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Leon Panetta is appereantly going to be our next CIA Director.

So, what is his experience to head the CIA?

Being a political hack and Clinton Chief of Shaft?



WASHINGTON – Two Democratic officials say President-elect Barack Obama has chosen former Clinton White House chief of staff Leon Panetta to run the CIA. Panetta was a surprise pick for the post, with no experience in the intelligence world. An Obama transition official and another Democrat disclosed his nomination on a condition of anonymity since it was not yet public.

Panetta was director of the Office of Management and Budget and a longtime congressman from California.

He served on the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan panel that released a report at the end of 2006 with dozens of recommendations for the reversing course in the Iraq war.

Panetta currently directs with his wife Sylvia the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy, based at California State University, Monterey Bay a university he helped establish on the site of the former U.S. Army base, Fort Ord.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090105/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cia_director
 
He's against allowing the CIA to torture. As things stand now they could even torture American citizens...oh, well, I forgot, that would be a big plus for you, wouldn't it, Mister Anti-American?
 
He's against allowing the CIA to torture. As things stand now they could even torture American citizens...oh, well, I forgot, that would be a big plus for you, wouldn't it, Mister Anti-American?

Given the importance for solid intel these days, you would think an appropriate pick would have SOME Intellegence experience, wouldn't you?

Then again, it's not like our President-elect has any experience to be President, so why would we expect him to pick experience to head our CIA?

How many Clinton retreads does this make now, for the "agent of change"? But we still need someone to head the FBI and Jamie Garelick needs a job

BTW, Leon also was opposed to the surge. Now there was a good call, eh :rolleyes:
 
Looks like not all the Dems are happy with this pick

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat who’s about to take the reins as chairwoman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, doesn’t appear to be too happy with Leon Panetta’s prospective appointment to head the CIA. Here’s what her office just sent me:

“I was not informed about the selection of Leon Panetta to be the CIA Director. I know nothing about this, other than what I’ve read,” said Senator Feinstein, who will chair the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in the 111th Congress.

“My position has consistently been that I believe the Agency is best-served by having an intelligence professional in charge at this time.”

Not an auspicious sign for Panetta’s confirmation hearings.

http://washingtonindependent.com/23827/dianne-feinstein-not-too-pleased-with-panetta-pick
 
Well, I agree with Obama; a careerist in the CIA at this particular time, is just going to be more likely to cover up for the Bush policies of torture and ignoring the law.

I don't think Panetta is going to have any problem, and I'll predict this for you; Difi will soon be saying "yes sir", just like she said to Bush. If she had any real spine, she'd have stood up to Bush more.

She's pretty conservative, but I think she can be convinced that it's in her best interests to stop the torture.
 
Well, I agree with Obama; a careerist in the CIA at this particular time, is just going to be more likely to cover up for the Bush policies of torture and ignoring the law.

I don't think Panetta is going to have any problem, and I'll predict this for you; Difi will soon be saying "yes sir", just like she said to Bush. If she had any real spine, she'd have stood up to Bush more.

She's pretty conservative, but I think she can be convinced that it's in her best interests to stop the torture.

We are screwed, and the terrorists are jumping for joy. The war on terror will now be considered a crime and treated as such

On the other hand being chief of shaft for Clinton gave him a good bit of covert experience.

It's not easy running a whore house in the middle of DC, without getting caught more times than he did.

Difi conservative? Next you will say Ted Kennedy is a moderate :rolleyes:
 
We are screwed, and the terrorists are jumping for joy. The war on terror will now be considered a crime and treated as such

On the other hand being chief of shaft for Clinton gave him a good bit of covert experience.

It's not easy running a whore house in the middle of DC, without getting caught more times than he did.

Difi conservative? Next you will say Ted Kennedy is a moderate :rolleyes:

You may be screwed. I'll be very proud to once again live in an America that lives up to its ideals. No Torture, period. As John McCain said; it's not about who they are, it's about who we are.
 
You may be screwed. I'll be very proud to once again live in an America that lives up to its ideals. No Torture, period. As John McCain said; it's not about who they are, it's about who we are.

Now I understand why hamas and other terror groups will backing Obama

The Clinton Administration dismantled of our existing intel gathering capabilities, and the "wall" was put up between the intel agenicies- which is what led to 9-11. Now Obama, in all his wisdom, is going to turn over our primary intelligence agency to one of those who helped dismantle it?

This must be a bad dream, we're in a war, and Obama picks a political operative to head the CIA and the press says, "ho hum, how long was Obama's work out today, did you see the sun glinting off those pects".

But Leon is a liberal Dem - that is all the experience he needs for the job
 
He's against allowing the CIA to torture. As things stand now they could even torture American citizens...oh, well, I forgot, that would be a big plus for you, wouldn't it, Mister Anti-American?
I think it is likely there are people who have intel experience who are also against torture and would have been better selections.

What is this? Does no position have any sort of measure for qualifications anymore?
 
I think it is likely there are people who have intel experience who are also against torture and would have been better selections.

What is this? Does no position have any sort of measure for qualifications anymore?

On one hand I actually lol'd at your asking that question AFTER Bush, and not during, and on the other hand, I have to say I have no idea what his qualifications were, I think he served on the 9/11 commission and I have no doubt he's a smart guy, and I don't have any qualms about this. If you do, you should write a letter.
 
I had a feeling poppy didn't have intellgence experience when he was picked, and sure and enough. Hurry, put on your tap dancing shoes and give us a show boys!

Mr. Deutch, now a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said there would have been good reasons for Mr. Obama to select a C.I.A. veteran to lead the agency. But Mr. Deutch also cited the examples of John McCone in the Kennedy administration and George Bush in the Nixon administration as cases in which outsiders became “two of the agency’s most successful directors.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/us/politics/06cia.html?_r=1&hp
 
On one hand I actually lol'd at your asking that question AFTER Bush, and not during, and on the other hand, I have to say I have no idea what his qualifications were, I think he served on the 9/11 commission and I have no doubt he's a smart guy, and I don't have any qualms about this. If you do, you should write a letter.

and was opposed to the surge - said it would not work

Like Obama - he was wrong
 
all of this may be moot, it looks like Panetta is going under the bus...

Who'd have thought?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/u...ted=2&_r=2&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

...Question: Some are - some are questioning Leon Panetta's lack of intelligence - lack of experience on intelligence matters. Sorry about that. I know this is tricky for you since you haven't announced it yet, but what does he bring to the table for you?

Obama: Well, as you noted, I haven't made - haven't made a formal announcement about my intelligence team.

(cell phone rings)

Obama: That may be him calling now... finding out where it's at.

Obama: I have the utmost respect for Leon Panetta. I think that he is one of the finest public servants that we have. He brings extraordinary management skills, great political savvy, an impeccable record of integrity.

As chief of staff, he is somebody who - to the president - he's somebody who obviously was fully versed in international affairs, crisis management, and had to evaluate intelligence consistently on a day-to-day basis.

Having said all that, I have not made an announcement. When we make the announcement, I think what people will see is, is that we are putting together a top-notch intelligence team that is not only going to assure that I get the best possible intelligence unvarnished, that the intelligence community is no longer geared towards telling the president what they think the president wants to hear, but instead are going to be delivering the information that the president needs to make critical decisions to keep the American people safe.

I think what you're also going to see is a team that is committed to breaking with some of the past practices and concerns that have, I think, tarnished the image of the agencies, the intelligence agencies, as well as U.S. foreign policy....
 
I think you are reading a lot into this. He used to say the same thing about the Hillary as Sec of State "rumors."

I'd take note of Difi walking back her whining after a call from Obama.
 
I read this whole thing and found this to be the funniest line in the thread:

"She's [Dianne Feinstein] pretty conservative,...."

I nearly spit coffee all over my screen.

But I regained my composure and thoguht seriously about that statement. I conclude that this shows how many miles apart some folks can be in their thinking. You couldn't find two people here who would say Feinstein is "pretty conservative" about anything. Wow.
 
It's funny - posters as right as Dixie and as left as BAC have been crowing about how Obama's admin is nothing more than a clone of Bush's on foreign policy & security, but as soon as he picks someone like Panetta, who is firmly against torture (thank god), terrorists are celebrating in the streets & he's a wacked out leftie again.
 
I read this whole thing and found this to be the funniest line in the thread:

"She's [Dianne Feinstein] pretty conservative,...."

I nearly spit coffee all over my screen.

But I regained my composure and thoguht seriously about that statement. I conclude that this shows how many miles apart some folks can be in their thinking. You couldn't find two people here who would say Feinstein is "pretty conservative" about anything. Wow.


I don't know, she lines up pretty closely with folks on the right when it comes to the USA PATRIOT Act, FISA/wire-tapping/surveillance matters, she voted for the Iraq War, sponsored the flag burning amendment and was one of 6 democrats to vote to confirm current AG Mukasey.

For giggles, compare Feinstein's response to the selection of the current director of the CIA to her response to Panetta.

She's a Rockefeller Republican.
 
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