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CIA Director Leon Panetta addressed agency staff in an e-mail today marking the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks tomorrow. With the CIA facing scrutiny over Bush-era torture of detainees and questions about how it should share responsibilities with the FBI and other federal agencies, Panetta used the opportunity to try to boost morale and rally employees.

Panetta's full message is included below:

Message from the Director: September 11th

Tomorrow, our nation as a whole will remember those lost to us eight years ago. For the men and women of the CIA, September 11th is a constant, powerful incentive in the war against al-Qa’ida and its violent sympathizers. Our Agency is at the center of that fight. We have no higher priority or greater focus.

Alone, and with partners in this country and overseas, the CIA has inflicted major losses on a dangerous enemy. Places that al-Qa’ida once counted as safe havens have become less safe. People on whom al-Qa’ida once relied—planners, commanders, facilitators, and trainers—have been taken off the battlefield.

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On the day a report will be released that is expected to detail questionable treatment by the CIA of terrorist suspects, CIA Director Leon Panetta sent an e-mail to the agency's workforce saying it is his "primary interest—when it comes to a program that no longer exists—is to stand up for those officers who did what their country asked and who followed the legal guidance they were given."

"That is the president’s position, too," he added.

Panetta's message addressed the 2004 report by the CIA's inspector general that will be released today, along with two other papers about the agency's past detention and interrogation of terrorist suspects, as part of a number of Freedom of Information Act cases.

"The Agency sought and received multiple written assurances that its methods were lawful," the CIA director wrote. "The CIA has a strong record in terms of following legal guidance and informing the Department of Justice of potentially illegal conduct."

Panetta's defense of the agency comes amid news that the Justice Department's ethics office has recommended that Attorney General Eric Holder reopen and pursue several CIA prisoner-abuse cases. Reviewing the cases would reverse the course set by the Bush administration and expose CIA employees and agency contractors to criminal prosecution.

Panetta wrote that, "This is in many ways an old story," saying that many of the details of the agency's prior interrogation techniques are already public.

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Former President Bill Clinton visited Central Intelligence Agency headquarters today to express his gratitude to employees and thank them for their role in protecting the United States against foreign threats.

"I think it's critical to meeting the challenges that we face today and the ones we're likely to face tomorrow. I guess that's the most important thing I can say—that I am grateful to all of you for your service here," Mr. Clinton said.

Mr. Clinton was also briefed on counterterrorism and regional hotspots by senior analysts at CIA headquarters. He said staffers are "trying to stop the big bad things from happening, trying to limit the damage from the bad things that do happen, and trying to keep moving the world in the direction it should go."

CIA director Leon Panetta complimented Mr. Clinton for his understanding of the CIA's role in intelligence gathering in the post-Cold War era.

"We certainly can benefit from the experience and perspective of a man who for eight years worked to defuse those dangers, protect our nation, and share the best of its ideals with the rest of the world," Panetta said.

Mr. Clinton also spoke about his experiences around the world after leaving office.

The ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee said the flap between Democrats and CIA Director Leon Panetta over whether the intelligence agency lied to lawmakers is "bizarre" and shows the Democrats lack leadership.

"[Republicans are] just kind of sitting on the sidelines. We're trying to focus on national security policy, national security issues, and the Democrats, from my perspective, are looking for some adult supervision. There's no leadership here at all. … This is very, very bizarre," Michigan Rep. Peter Hoekstra said on CBS' "The Early Show" Thursday.

Back in May, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused the CIA of lying to her about the use of waterboarding as an interrogation technique during briefings in 2002.

Panetta responded saying it was not CIA policy to mislead Congress, but in recent letters Democrats allege Panetta told lawmakers last month that the agency had in fact concealed information repeatedly since 2001.

Republicans have said those letters, along with threats from President Obama to veto an upcoming intelligence bill, are calculated to give Pelosi political cover on whether she knew of waterboarding back in 2002.

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Former Vice President Dick Cheney has responded to CIA Director Leon Panetta's suggestion in the New Yorker magazine that "it’s almost as if [Cheney is] wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point."

"I hope my old friend Leon was misquoted," Cheney said in a statement released to CBS News. "The important thing is whether the Obama administration will continue the policies that have kept us safe for the last eight years."

Panetta is quoted in the story saying he thinks Cheney "smells some blood in the water on the national-security issue." He suggests Cheney's criticisms of President Obama reflect "gallows" and "dangerous" politics.

The former vice president has been among the harshest critics of Mr. Obama's policies, particularly on harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects and the closure of the Guantanimo Bay prison facility, and has suggested that the administration's decisions are making "the American people less safe."

Asked about Panetta's comments at the White House briefing today, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said he is "not going to get into motivations."

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Leon Panetta was sworn in today as the head of the CIA. Vice President Joe Biden administered the oath of office.

In his remarks, Leon Panetta noted the presence in the audience of many people he has worked with over the years - including the man who is now the White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel worked for Panetta when Panetta was chief of staff in the Clinton White House.

"Rahm Emanuel. Thank you for being here. I taught him everything he knows," Panetta joked, as CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller reports. "On the other hand – if he screws up – it’s not my fault.”

Panetta is an old Washington hand, having served as a congressman for nearly two decades and in the Clinton administration. His appointment was nonetheless initially criticized because he lacked experience in intelligence gathering.

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In the age of terrorism and the Internet, threats to the United States' national security come not just from those wielding bombs and guns, but unconventional weapons – such as a keyboard and a mouse.

The White House announced today that it will conduct a review of the nation's cyber security to "ensure that U.S. Government cyber security initiatives are appropriately integrated, resourced and coordinated with Congress and the private sector," according to a release from the White House.

The announcement comes less than a week after President Obama's pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon Panetta, raised the issue of protecting vital national security interests online during a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee. During the hearing, Panetta uttered the phrase "cyber-attack" in the same breath as such threats as al Qaeda and the potential of a nuclear armed North Korea.

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President-elect Obama will meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderone on Monday, Maria Gavrilovic reports.

Though he has spoken frequently about the economy since winning the election and laid out his ambitious economic agenda in a speech today, Mr. Obama has had far less to say about foreign affairs, stressing that there is only one president at a time.

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In another hitch to the Obama transition following Bill Richardson's withdrawal from the Commerce Secretary post, word leaked today that Bill Clinton's former chief of staff Leon Ponetta has been tapped as CIA director.

CBS News chief political consultant Marc Ambinder reports that the Obama team had planned to announce the selection later this week, but someone close to Panetta revealed he had been tapped for the job before Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the new chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, was told.

Feinstein wasn't happy about the timing and expressed her exasperation publicly.

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In another hitch to the Obama transition following Bill Richardson's withdrawal from the Commerce Secretary post, word leaked today that Bill Clinton's former chief of staff Leon Ponetta has been tapped as CIA director.

CBS News chief political consultant Marc Ambinder reports that the Obama team had planned to announce the selection later this week, but someone close to Panetta revealed he had been picked for the job before Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the new chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, was told.

Feinstein wasn't happy about the timing and expressed her exasperation publicly.

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