If it's intelligence they wanted--- why wasn't Dianne chosen, dammit!?
Posted on 01/05/2009 10:04:59 PM PST by melt
Sen. Diane Feinstein is reportedly fuming that Barack Obama picked Leon Panetta as his new CIA Director and never consulted with her.
Feinstein, the incoming chairwoman of the Senate intelligence committee, issued a sharp statement Monday that was a thinly veiled criticism of the pick. The statement made it clear that she had expected a career intelligence professional – unlike Panetta, who has no intelligence expertise whatsoever – to be leading the CIA.
"I was not informed about the selection of Leon Panetta to be the CIA Director,’’ Feinstein said.
“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."
Panetta could face tough questions at his nomination hearing about his background in intelligence.
A former senior CIA official who advises Obama defended the surprise choice of Panetta, whose only military and intelligence experience is a two-year stint in the mid-1960s as a U.S. Army lieutenant.
The official told the Associated Press that Panetta had been a consumer of CIA intelligence when he was at the White House.
The source said Panetta was selected for his administrative, management and political skills that will allow him both to control and advocate for the agency.
The official added that Panetta will rely on the expertise of CIA officers to balance his lack of personal intelligence experience.
Veterans of the CIA were caught off guard by the selection.
"I'm at a loss," said Robert Grenier, a former director of the CIA's counterterrorism center and 27-year veteran of the agency who now is managing director of Kroll, a security consulting company.
The lack of intelligence...
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
If it's intelligence they wanted--- why wasn't Dianne chosen, dammit!?
Barry has no experience, why would he pick anyone who had experience, its not important to him.
Leon is DOA.
This “administration” is a laugh a minute.
Experience isn't important. Those silly "experts" and "soldiers" aren't all that smart, you see. Just like in the movies where all "grunts" are portrayed as morons with guns, in real life, intelligence people are no smarter about this stuff than anyone else. You get someone like Barry, who has never achieved greatness in any area, and HE becomes the most powerful person on the planet, how can you then argue that a leader has to be experienced in anything but politics?
We're forgetting that one of the key points Obama made was one we mocked--that his running of his own campaign was experience enough for him to be president. Sure, it's ridiculous, but some foolish people apparently have bought it. And he's one of those people.
Obama hasn’t even been inaugurated yet, and already his political “allies” from his own party are gunning for him. The honeymoon’s over before it ever started.
This is the first and most likely the last thing I agree with her on.
All is not well in dem land.
People who hate the CIA are going to be running it. I'm afraid that what we're about to see will make the resultant years after the Church Commission look like a hiccup!
One of the problems is that nobody with real experience wants anything to do with the agency in an Obama administration. First off, they're afraid of being tried from crimes committed by underlings. And secondly, I think that given the way the Obama administration wants the CIA interrogators bound by the Army Field Manual's treatment of prisoners. They're afraid of what will happen when they can no longer use coersive techniques to get information. Forget waterboarding: According to the AFM, if the prisoner says "I don't want to tell you anything" the interrogation is over. Nobody in their right mind wants to head the agency that can't interrogate the enemy. And for good reason!
Mark
The interesting thing for me is that I would have identified Holder as the weak spot in the lineup. I also have a lurking suspicion that Hillary is covering the bases by not resigning her Senate seat before confirmation due to her concerns over bombs that could drop during that process. But weirdness like the Richardson flameout, and this lame pick - after the well managed campaign - whooda thunk it?
It's CIAO, baby--- for the CIA...
The media managed Obama's campaign as much as anyone.
The brainless Boy Wonder keeps the hits coming. I'd say this "official" just qualified millions of Americans to be the head of the CIA.
Newsmax writes: “... issued a sharp statement Monday that was a thinly veiled criticism of the pick.”
Newsmax is no better than the MSM.
I don’t need Newsmax telling me its *interpretation* of her statement, as if I would read the statement and not comprehend what it was!
Stupid, stupid Newsmax and WND are hopeless wannabes that are out-MSMing the MSM in their unprofessionalism. WND sells books right in the middle of its articles, and it gets its facts so twisted that it is appalling. I seldome read either of them because they are so untrustworthy and shabby.
It’s particularly annoying because they set themselves up as “better” than the MSM when they are just as inane.
She does.
Until Obama provides documentary evidence that he is a natural born citizen, I would hope the CIA will do what its been doing for the last seven years and ignore him entirely, of course at the same time giving just enough surface conformance to keep him in the dark. That’s what a patriot would do. You don’t carry out the orders of a traitor, no matter who he is.
She’s not smart enough to differentiate ATT to the new administration.
I've been a consumer of medical services - let me perform your heart bypass.
I've been a consumer of electricity - let me run your nuclear power plant.
I've been a consumer of computers - let me design your network.
This is truly scary.
The fact that Zero chose Panetta had nothing to do with picking someone with equal or lesser experience than him. No one with an intelligence background wants to serve under Obama and be put into a position where they'd get thrown under the bus if anything happened to America. That is as blindingly clear as the sunrise on the planet Mercury.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.