Posted on 08/24/2009 8:45:10 AM PDT by mojito
A "profanity-laced screaming match" at the White House involving CIA Director Leon Panetta, and the expected release today of another damning internal investigation, has administration officials worrying about the direction of its newly-appoint intelligence team, current and former senior intelligence officials tell ABC News.com.
Amid reports that Panetta had threatened to quit just seven months after taking over at the spy agency, other insiders tell ABCNews.com that senior White House staff members are already discussing a possible shake-up of top national security officials.
"You can expect a larger than normal turnover in the next year," a senior adviser to Obama on intelligence matters told ABCNews.com.
Since 9/11, the CIA has had five directors or acting directors.
A White House spokesperson, Denis McDonough, said reports that Panetta had threatened to quit and that the White House was seeking a replacement were "inaccurate."
According to intelligence officials, Panetta erupted in a tirade last month during a meeting with a senior White House staff member. Panetta was reportedly upset over plans by Attorney General Eric Holder to open a criminal investigation of allegations that CIA officers broke the law in carrying out certain interrogation techniques that President Obama has termed "torture."
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
If the reports are true about the WH taking over "high-value interrogations" and such, then they have to know that it places them at war with the CIA, and the Intel community as a whole.
In that case, leaking this has the effect of the WH getting in the first shot of the battle.
The effect of this leak is to stick Panetta with having to answer questions about his tirade, and so on -- but as a supposedly loyal appointee of the Executive Branch he is hamstrung in his ability to answer candidly about the nature of the controversy.
The WH spin machine is not hamstrung; they can toss out whatever they want about CIA failures, "crimes," and so on.
It's actually quite a clever strategy, in a fascist sort of way.
Thank you for that clarification.
More to the point, wouldn't the MSM ignore any CIA leaks that painted a negative picture of The One? And if they leaked to Fox or Rush, wouldn't The One's mouthpieces simply say the information was false and/or fraudulent?
When are some CIA guys going to start leaking and embarrassing and sabotaging the Kenyan? He’s earned it. The American people need it
Where’s Angleton when we need him?
His current treasonous ambitions, which apparently are growing expotentially.
Take us down in one term? Hell, he's well on his way in less than one year.
Or much, much worse.
Where the hell is J. Edgar Hoover when we really need him?
Obama Administration: No Prosecution of Officials for Bush-Era Torture Policy - April 19, 2009
But does Hill have anyplace else to go? She gave up her senate seat for this mockery.
At least someone else understands- Zero is a fascist.
If Panetta had belief in his country he would be packing his office.
He can scream and threaten to quit but when push comes to shove, he’s still there.
The problem is that both Obama and his mother worked for places that have been known to front for CIA operatives.
I am convinced the black hole in his history is due to being involved with the CIA.
In order to defend himself about his travel, etc. he might have to reveal CIA secrets...
I don’t think the info will ever come to light..I think it will be used for blackmail.
I will never understand why Rahm is so anti-Israel.
M. Begin lead Irgun (Rahm’s father is a member) and he gave away land for peace. Rahm wants Bibi to do the same thing.
Yikes!
They have already taken control of the media. Thats why they are silent, thats also why they are going broke, Change is in the air, but not the change zer0 was counting on.
Just so.
Whether or not Panetta is acting out of a vestigial sense of loyalty to our country, I don't know. But the likelier explanation is that he has been backed into a corner by these onstant attacks from Holder and others, and is defending his current turf--the CIA.
Another media geared plot to make Panetta look bad. Remember when Chaney dared to utter a four-letter word and the media was all over the story? But this report has not a peep about who was arguing with Panetta in this "profanity laced" match. Oh no, wouldn't want the country to know that Obama's people might use such language. It is so sickeningly obvious how "in bed" the media is with this administration.
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