Posted on 01/05/2009 11:50:52 AM PST by Free ThinkerNY
President-elect Barack Obama has selected Leon E. Panetta, the former congressman and White House chief of staff, to take over the Central Intelligence Agency, an organization that Mr. Obama criticized during the campaign for using interrogation methods he decried as torture, Democratic officials said Monday.
Mr. Panetta has a reputation in Washington as a competent manager with strong background in budget issues, but has little hands-on intelligence experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he will take control of the agency most directly responsible for hunting senior Al Qaeda leaders around the globe, but one that has been buffeted since the Sept. 11 attacks by leadership changes and morale problems.
(Excerpt) Read more at thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com ...
The confirmation hearings outta be a hoot.
The problem is that there's no evidence that the CIA has any "field operatives" -- except those, like Plame, who are hiding in plain sight at foreign embassies, where everyone, including the native population, knows they're CIA.
Down, dirty, and infiltrating? Not since the '70's.
last i heard it was 27 of 41 key positions (not necessarily all cabinet posts)
I was watching Abe Lincoln in Illonois on TCM this morning. Raymond Massey had a line that, in light of the present administration and the attempts of Caroline Kennedy and Al Franken to become Senators, was surprisingly prophetic. “I’ve learned in politics that ignorance is no obstacle to advancement.”
Perhaps colossally destructive?
He’s not a buffoon. He’s very serious about negating US power in a way that prevents the country from defending itself from totalitarian (Stalinist) aggression. He will be a direct pipeline to Moscow and Beijing. And if it helps his end game I’m sure Teheran, Damaskas and N. Korea will be copied when he feels it is appropriate.
In short all the power and secrets necessary to protect America as we knew it will be given away. Do you recall that our nuclear algorithms were given away by the Clintoon administration to China? The facilitator, if I remember correctly, was Bill Richardson.
Happy New Year!
Thanks for the advice. I intend to give it a rest. The GOP offers nothing of value any more.
The Intelligence Ticket for the GOP:
North / Clancy in 2012!
He looks like a cross between Groucho and Dukakis.
please tell me that this is a trial balloon.
“Why didn’t he just pick TBBOA...”
If they’re blind, shouldn’t they be facing in random directions instead of looking directly at a camera they can’t see?
Sorry. Penetta as DCI is so scary I have to be funny. Any idea of who Obama is going to put in as DNI, or is the current one going to stay?
That's interesting. I'm not sure what the inference is here -- other than taking your ball and going home -- but I'm not "the GOP."
But you represent what’s wrong with it. You are an ambassador. Not a good one, obviously, but you are having an effect.
Also missed his aviator service in WWII as part of this he served as a photographic officer and likely had significant operational intel exposure via that and his flight briefings.
1cm68, you must be having a nice belly laugh at us Yankees acting like idiots. If this was not so serious, and if I didn’t live in Chicago Proper, I would be laughing with you. : (
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Nope,,,No funi here,,,
Just another sad day for our country...:0/
Double the trouble. Obama alone was bad enough but now he is resurrecting the Clinton machine.
Looks like we’ll be able to use all our old files for some time now Phil.
Just a “rumor” from someone I know to be well-connected, but I can’t source it. That’s why I referred to it as a rumor. My source is a retired senior military officer who formerly worked in one of the most important Pentagon offices, quite a few years ago, but that’s all I can say.
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