The Panetta Pick
It seems Diane Feinstein is peeved that Obama dared to ignore her:
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who this week begins her tenure as the first female chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said today that she was not consulted on the choice and indicated she might oppose it.
“I was not informed about the selection of Leon Panetta to be the CIA director,” Feinstein said. “My position has consistently been that I believe the agency is best served by having an intelligence professional in charge at this time.”
The choice of Panetta was seen as a sign that Obama considered it more important to have a steady political hand and astute manager at the helm of the agency, rather than someone with deep operational experience.
In picking Panetta, Obama risks raising anew questions about the politicization of the CIA, a concern cited by leading congressional officials.
Meanwhile, others like the choice:
I always liked Panetta. He served in the Army and is openly proud of it. He seems to be a good lawyer (oxymoronic though it may seem). He’s a good manager. And he’s going to watch Obama’s back at a place that’s full of stilettos and a track record for attempted presidential assassination second to none. But Italians know all about political assassination; you may remember Julius Caesar. Or Aldo Moro. The self-proclaimed cognoscenti will deride his lack of “spycraft,” and he’s never worked in the intel bureaucracy or, for that matter, in foreign policy or national security. But he’s been chief of staff, which involved all that stuff. I think it’s a smart move...
So he sounds competent, if not from the agency’s ranks. It might do some good to have a guy who’s not an entrenched insider running the agency. It also signals a move away from the abuses of the Bush years, which is quite frankly something the CIA needs to do. As far as Feinstein is concerned, she is just another example of how the rest of the party has turned shooting itself in the foot into an art form.
Comments
It is also possible to want whoever’s in charge to make good decisions, regardless of the letter following their name on the CNN ticker.
I’ve been generally impressed with most of Obama’s selections so far, but this one sucks my balls. It’s nothing more than Democrat party political pandering. At this point in our nation’s history this asshole is the last person we need running the CIA.
You know that whole “lack of experience” thing that turned me off to Sarah Palin? Same thing here. He’s grossly unqualified for the job.
Right on, Lee
I don’t understand the NRO’s presidential assassination comment. So their point is that being in charge of the CIA largely entails preventing the President from being assassinated by...the CIA? What? Someone explain.
Posted by ironlizzy on 01/06/09 at 03:26 PM from United States
I don’t understand the NRO’s presidential assassination comment. So their point is that being in charge of the CIA largely entails preventing the President from being assassinated by...the CIA? What? Someone explain.
don’t you know? haven’t you watched all those recent movies by Hollywood?!
What would Feinstein have had to offer if Obama had notified/consulted her? Considering that she has the intellect of a sodomized goat, I’m not sure what the point of talking to her would be…
You know that whole “lack of experience” thing that turned me off to Sarah Palin? Same thing here. He’s grossly unqualified for the job.
I’m quite glad to see you’re not a hypocrite on these things.
No, he’s qualified, he was under Clintons watch. That’ll qualify him, Hell, just rehire Jimma Cartaaah. Same thing, different puss.
I don’t understand the NRO’s presidential assassination comment. So their point is that being in charge of the CIA largely entails preventing the President from being assassinated by...the CIA? What? Someone explain.
Think metaphor . . .
Next entry: Fair For Me, But Not For Thee
Previous entry: Caught On Camera
Who's Logged In
Total Members: 8229
Total Logged in members: 3
Total guests: 56
Total anonymous users: 0
fangbeer,
frankie,
Manwhore,
Capitalism
Search
Search this site with Google
Search will take you to Google.com, which will display results from Right-Thinking and link you back here. Search using pMachineRecent Comments
Quote Mining
(14 total, Last @ 08:04)
Dick Fitzwell: A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always count on the support of Paul--George Bernard Shaw Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.--Mark Twain A major source of objection to a…
How quickly they soured us on their ideology, huh?
(7 total, Last @ 07:34)
Seattle Outcast: Get that sand washed out yet muirgeo1?
The Discovery Gunman
(2 total, Last @ 07:33)
Seattle Outcast: Considering that this is exactly what I hear from your typical garden-variety libtard, I'm keeping my guard up around them in case they snap.
The Discovery Gunman
(2 total, Last @ 07:15)
AlexinCT: My response is to wonder how people get like this. There has to be some sort of mental imbalance at work here. I seriously hope this can’t just happen to anyone given the right – or in this case, wrong – circumstances. There are very few things that would push…
Tonight's speech by Obama on Iraq...
(29 total, Last @ 07:00)
AlexinCT: Fair enough. But bitching Obama all day every day would become tiresome—for me, if not for you. If Obama gave me anything not to bitch about, I would. Then again, when I did give him his propos I recall you were still unhappy with that too. I’ve made it pretty…
Last 30 Comments
This may be from the left coast, but it’s hardly right thinking. Extolling the virtues of Leon Panetta and lamenting the Democratic Party’s mistakes are not the actions of a conservative.