Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (Full Version)

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subrob1967 -> Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/5/2009 2:39:11 PM)

Yahoo

quote:

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.


Wow, great pick there Messiah, the guy has ZERO intelligence experience, but that seems to be a theme with you.




lronitulstahp -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/5/2009 3:05:45 PM)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6syyVJWhZE

Can't be any worse than "Brownie", at least Panetta's not a horse groomer...turned politician.  He has ACTUAL POLITICAL EXPERIENCE.  i suppose now, that makes Obama an  elitist??? i mean, we know the man can do no right, in some people's *cough* unbiased *choke* opinions...[8|]{{{waxes nostalgic for the good old days http://www.collarchat.com/fb.asp?m=2110106 }}}



Sanity -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/5/2009 4:24:12 PM)


But the lead CIA position shouldn't be a political appointment, should it.

Panetta has absolutely no experience in the intelligence field. This is absolutely on par with the "Brownie" pick...



Vendaval -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/5/2009 4:45:53 PM)

This explanation makes a good deal of sense -

"Obama is sending an unequivocal message that controversial administration policies approving harsh interrogations, waterboarding and extraordinary renditions — the secret transfer of prisoners to other governments with a history of torture — and warrantless wiretapping are over, said several officials."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090105/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_spy_agencies



lronitulstahp -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/5/2009 5:04:23 PM)

Thanks for the link, Vendeval...i especially like this part. 
quote:

signaled the Democrat's intention for a clean break from Bush administration policies
  and Blair, though not exactly a former spy, sounds promising
quote:

Blair served in the Navy for 34 years and was chief of the U.S. Pacific Command during the Sept. 11 attacks. Blair also is a China expert, and he was an associate director for military support at the CIA.
i admit, Sanity that perhaps the CIA director shouldn't be a political post, but i have to respectfully disagree Sir, that it is at all on par with Brownie.

If Panetta and Blair are confirmed as his choices i would prefer either of them to the staus quo.



slaveboyforyou -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/5/2009 5:05:03 PM)

quote:

This explanation makes a good deal of sense -

"Obama is sending an unequivocal message that controversial administration policies approving harsh interrogations, waterboarding and extraordinary renditions — the secret transfer of prisoners to other governments with a history of torture — and warrantless wiretapping are over, said several officials."


No, that's where it makes no sense.  It would be like the mayor of New York appointing his personal assistant to be the chief of police in order to send a message that police brutality was a thing of the past.  It's obviously a "gimme" that Obama is giving to Panetta for something.  Several Democrats aren't happy about it, but they assumed Obama was a Democrat like them.  Obama is a Chicago Democrat, and that will become painfully clear in the next few years. 



Vendaval -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/5/2009 6:19:01 PM)

I do not think this is a "gimme", slaveboy.  I think that the initial group of candidates became smaller over time and that choosing someone who was not part of the Bush Administration policies was a major concern.  There is more about this choice in the NY Times -

"In disclosing the pick, officials pointed to Mr. Panetta’s sharp managerial skills, his strong bipartisan standing on Capitol Hill, his significant foreign policy experience in the White House and his service on the Iraq Study Group, the bipartisan panel that examined the war and made recommendations on United States policy. The officials noted that he had a handle on intelligence spending from his days as director of the Office and Management and Budget.

Mr. Deutch, now a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said Mr. Panetta and Dennis Blair, who was selected by Mr. Obama to become director of national intelligence, were an “absolutely brilliant team,” and called Mr. Panetta a “talented and experienced manager of government and a widely respected person with congress.”

He said that given global environment, there are indeed good reasons for Mr. Obama to select a C.I.A. veteran to lead the C.I.A. But he said that two of the agency’s most successful directors, John McCone and George H.W. Bush, had little or no intelligence intelligence experience when they took over at C.I.A. "

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/panetta-to-be-named-cia-director/#more-8145



SimplyMichael -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/5/2009 7:37:26 PM)

Panetta is a former cabinet official, that is a VERY high level position and he will now be serving in a LOWER position.  He wants to clean out the Bush political appointees and brought in a big gun to make sure it is done.

It really is rather pathetic for bush lovers to whine about "political" appointees, that is rather rich, no pun intended.  Oh and I assume you complained AT THE TIME that Bush's daddy ran the CIA?  Somehow I doubt it.

Besides, after Bush, a monkey could run things better so relax guys, things will be looking up soon.



leatherjacket -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/5/2009 7:54:18 PM)

Sandy Burglar was unavailable.



TheHeretic -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/5/2009 8:08:39 PM)

         In these times, Ven, the CIA Director is a very important position.  I find this pick disturbing.  Both the linked articles talk about other, much more qualified potential appointees being knocked off the list because of political incorrectness, on issues that were blown up by partisan hackery.  So what if Jane Harmon supported domestic wire-tapping for a while?

         This isn't "Brownie."  PE Obama has decided to stick to his guns, on who gives the inaugural invocation, and has caved on one of his most critical choices.  CIA is not a place to go making statements.

        If Obama is as smart as we are supposed to believe, maybe Panetta is intended as a sacrificial lamb, when the next bad thing happens.



corysub -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/5/2009 8:32:42 PM)

We are involved in a war with terrorists who would like nothing better than to exceed the results of 9/11, and we have an inexperienced pol who participated in "The Iraq study group" being a key resume' positive. I'm shocked to read that he is being  widely praised as competent and a great choice by Lee Hamilton, no less, who headed the Iraq Study Group??!!  Hey..why not, the country elected another likeable guy, also a man with no experience

It seems to me that the primary qualification for being on team Obama is a nice guy/gal, who can manage people as well as say a Wal-Mart regional director, possibly worked for or in the Clinton Administration, or maybe IS a Clinton.  And please...spare us all any comment that includes Stansfield Turner, the man who overnight destroyed the intel gathering ability of the Agency as head of the Carter C.I.A.with the firing of thousands of agents.This debacle, known as the Valentine Day massacre,  exposed many of our foreign contacts. This action resulted in a virtual  U.S. intel vacuum for decades and our dependence on intel from the security services of the U.K., Israel, France, et al, since so many people local to the middle east who could be important contacts did not want to put their lives on the line for the USA. 

Maybe Panetta will follow the wonderful lead of Admiral Turner and fire thousands of C.I.A. agents too so the money could be used to build those wonderful green "windmills" that are going to so ineficiently power the country....Save a few bucks, and redistribute the cash in a rebate to anyone breathing.

Edit:  did not want



Owner59 -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/5/2009 8:52:06 PM)

 I think having someone with integrity who will follow the law, instead of helping the POTUS break it,is a good start.

Bravo.



celticlord2112 -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/5/2009 8:55:09 PM)

quote:

I think having someone with integrity who will follow the law, instead of helping the POTUS break it,is a good start.

High regard for the law is an excellent quality for Attorney General or FBI Director.

At the CIA, I'd rather have someone with the talent to not get caught--that being a defining characteristic of successful espionage.



Owner59 -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/5/2009 9:02:41 PM)

 
And he`s foursquare against torture.

Kudos.



TheHeretic -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/5/2009 9:15:20 PM)

          Speaking of an issue blown up by partisan hackery... 

      Panetta might know public opinion, but if the CIA is doing their mission properly, there isn't any public opinion, because what the agency does isn't on public display.

      That Obama doesn't get this is deeply troubling to me.



celticlord2112 -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/5/2009 9:32:47 PM)

quote:

And he`s foursquare against torture.

How wonderfully PC of him.  He'll be a big hit on Oprah I'm sure.



Owner59 -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/5/2009 9:39:08 PM)

 
Following the law and Constitution and good intelligence are not mutually exclusive.

I heard him say(paraphrasing),"the founding fathers outlawed torture because tyrants and despots used torture to stay in power.They wanted America to be better than that."He also said torture was immoral,illegal and counter productive.

Good man.

Maybe Obama`s critics would be happier if  one of george bush`s college roommates were picked....[8D]



ArticMaestro -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/6/2009 2:25:05 AM)

In talking about torture for Criminal defendants, you are correct Owner59.  However for in war, Americas founders were merciless.  Nobody really likes to talk about the war for the Ohio valley, or any of the other Indian Wars.  Or what we did to the Barbary Pirates...

The really interesting thing is that under the Clinton Administration,  Fisa was violated, and people were extroidinarily rendered terrorist suspects.  Was Panetta around at the time we bombed Sudan (along with Iraq and Afghanistan) because Saddam was helping OBL make Chemical weopons at the Shifa Pharmacuetical Campus?

Simply Micheal, if you honestly think things could not be worse, you have a very limited grasp of history and current events.



ArticMaestro -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/6/2009 2:44:17 AM)

I imagine I will get challenged on my claim that the Clinton Administration engaged in Extraordinary Rendidtions.

The American Civil Liberties Union alleges that extraordinary rendition was developed by CIA officials in the mid-1990s who were trying to track down and dismantle militant Islamic organizations in the Middle East, particularly Al Qaeda [14].
According to Clinton administration official Richard Clarke:




“
'extraordinary renditions', were operations to apprehend terrorists abroad, usually without the knowledge of and almost always without public acknowledgment of the host government…. The first time I proposed a snatch, in 1993, the White House Counsel, Lloyd Cutler, demanded a meeting with the President to explain how it violated international law. Clinton had seemed to be siding with Cutler until Al Gore belatedly joined the meeting, having just flown overnight from South Africa. Clinton recapped the arguments on both sides for Gore: "Lloyd says this. Dick says that. Gore laughed and said, 'That's a no-brainer. Of course it's a violation of international law, that's why it's a covert action. The guy is a terrorist. Go grab his ass.'" [15]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraordinary_rendition




awmslave -> RE: Clinton Chief Panetta to head CIA (1/6/2009 4:46:28 AM)

Obama nature as a "rookie" starts to show.



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