Obama Surprises With CIA Pick

President-Elect Will Tap Leon Panetta For CIA Director, Dennis Blair For Director Of National Intelligence

(CBS/AP)  Sources tell CBS News that President-elect Barack Obama has selected two more people for his intelligence team - Leon Panetta to be CIA director and Retired Admiral Dennis Blair to be director of national intelligence.

With no experience in the intelligence world, Panetta, a former chief of staff to President Clinton, is a surprise choice to lead the agency. At 70 years old, he would also be the oldest person to begin a tenure as director.

Panetta was a longtime congressman from California, serving from 1977 to 1993. From 1989 to 1993, he served as chairman of the House Budget Committee. He left Congress to become Director of the Office of Management and Budget for the incoming Clinton administration.

In July 1994, he became White House chief of staff and served in that capacity until the end of Mr. Clinton's first term.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, who will chair the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in the 111th Congress, indicated that she was not pleased with the choice of Panetta.

“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.”

"My position has consistently been that I believe the Agency is best-served by having an intelligence professional in charge at this time," she added.

Sen. Feinstein told CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer that she was blindsided by the announcement.

"She told me she's not saying she won't vote against him, but it will be an uphill battle now to get him confirmed," Schieffer said.

Panetta currently directs with his wife Sylvia the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy, based at California State University, Monterey Bay, a university he helped establish on the site of the former U.S. Army base, Fort Ord. According to his biography, "the Institute serves as a nonpartisan, not-for-profit study center for the advancement public policy, seeking in particular to attract thoughtful men and women to lives of public service."

Panetta also served on the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan panel that released a report at the end of 2006 with dozens of recommendations for the reversing course in the Iraq war. He was First Lieutenant in the Army from 1964 to 1966.

Blair's nomination has been expected. He served in the Navy for 34 years and was chief of the U.S. Pacific Command during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Blair is also a China expert, and he was an associate director for military support at the CIA.

He is a workaholic, an expert on Asia, and "is considered adept at running sprawling organizations, seemingly a prerequisite for heading an office that is still grappling with the task of fusing 16 spy agencies," according to the New York Times.

CBS News' David Martin reported that Mr. Obama planned to tap Blair back in November. This news makes the choice official.

[bobnjersey]

[This will be one of many inept surprises that prove Americans made the wrong choice in electing an unqualified person.]
[Posted by peace4321 at 10:47 PM : Jan 05, 2009]

so where are we on the scale of ''as bad as gwb''?

[ballpen1]

Jedi, how can you say this was a blunder? At least the guy in question wasn''t organizing horseraces (and FIRED from that job!) before he was appointed to head an agency...

[hatesthecolt]

I guess Paneta can do the budget over at CIA........

Pretty weak intelligence team being put together.

But, that is what Clinton did, too.

Posted by donbl1

If by "pretty weak intel team" you mean not within the community that''s EXACTLY the point. The last thing the CIA needs is "more of the same."

[cbsblogger]

Who cares what Feinstein thinks? Her husband is a war profiteer who made a mint off the Iraq War that she helped perpetuate.

Google: Feinstein war profiteer

[nojoy01]

H-m-m-m-m. I am going to sign off now. I seem to be more annoyed than amused by the fools tonight & that means this is not entertainment but just aggravation.

[nojoy01]

By the way- the speaker of the House is Nancy Pelosi.
Senator Dianne Feinstein is Chairperson of the Senate Intellgence Commitee and has never served in the house.

Posted by IMNHO at 09:26 PM : Jan 05, 2009

Nice try at straightening things out IMNHO, but do not expect too many of the posters to pay any attention or let a little thing like the facts get in the way of their prejudices.

[lil_willie61]

YEAH YOU ALL HAVE A RIGHT TO CRITICIZE OBAMAS CHOICES.

Posted by demswin08
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He11 yes, I have the right to criticize - I''m an American citizen who votes. Whether I voted for him or not, I have the right to criticize or question the actions of the President.

And stop shouting....

[imnho]

Panetta has some experince in intellgence. He mainly has experince in manging large organazations. They made a mistake in not consulting with the senior senator from Califorina. When you don''t consult with the right senator on an apointee the person in question gets mad.

By the way- the speaker of the House is Nancy Pelosi.
Senator Dianne Feinstein is Chairperson of the Senate Intellgence Commitee and has never served in the house.

[nojoy01]

Well, I am not too sure about the Panetta appointment, but there is nothing that could make me "pine for the days of the Bush presidency."

Posted by kansas1946 at 08:19 PM : Jan 05, 2009

H-m-m-m. A Ralph Nader presidency would make me think kinder thoughts about ''ol GW. And positively make me ''pine for the days'' of the Carter Presidency.

[caligula1--2008]

The reason Feinstein didn''t push to impeach Bush is that even a delusional left winger like herself is fully aware he didn''t do anything that would deserve impeachment. Being wrong is NOT a crime or most of you would be in jail right now.

As far as her being "not pleased" with Paneta, well, she "wasnt pleased" with Bush as President, rooted overwhelmingly for Obama, and now just has to live with it. That is the part of Politics that the Harridan of the House never likes; that is, the part where other people disagree with her.

Heck, she SHOULD be delighted. Her branch of the left has been trying to eviscerate the CIA for decades, having Paneta as Director will probably finally do this.

Now HER party is going to have to do all those "evil things" Bush did, or suffer a repeat of 9/11 only somewhere else using a different weapon. Frankly there are more ways to inflict massive damage on this country with minimal effort than I like to think about.

[nincomp]

Feinstein pxssed because he isn''''t a neocon Zionist? To her and others that becomes the most important qualification of all. It''''s time we have leadership for America instead lackeys for Israel.

Posted by cbsblogger at 08:25 PM : Jan 05, 2009
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Well said, Obama pulled the rug under the feet of a zionist Dianne Feinstein

[lopezf11]

Good point, liberalme.

And don%u2019t forget, immediately becoming speaker of the house, Diane Finestine also refused to even consider the impeachment of president Bush.

I have never understood her reasoning for that. Perhaps there is more to it than we are told.

Posted by jn122736 at 08:07 PM : Jan 05, 2009

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It''''s been claimed that impeachment of Bush would have led to embarrassment for Israel and their toadies in our government. That is a risk that AIPAC and others were not willing to take.

Google: Kucinich AIPAC impeachment



Posted by cbsblogger

Unlike Kucinich, Feinstein is sane.

[cbsblogger]

Good point, liberalme.

And don%u2019t forget, immediately becoming speaker of the house, Diane Finestine also refused to even consider the impeachment of president Bush.

I have never understood her reasoning for that. Perhaps there is more to it than we are told.

Posted by jn122736 at 08:07 PM : Jan 05, 2009

=================================

It''s been claimed that impeachment of Bush would have led to embarrassment for Israel and their toadies in our government. That is a risk that AIPAC and others were not willing to take.

Google: Kucinich AIPAC impeachment

[promaclaura]

CBSisPravda1 - Are referring to Muslim extremists or the Mexican cartels that routinely kill here in the US while Bush sticks his head up Israel''''s back side?


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Posted by powmadeak47 at 08:44 PM : Jan 05, 2009

Our new concern should be how Obama handles the Mexican cartels. It definitely ranks up there for border security.

[powmadeak47]

CBSisPravda1 - Are referring to Muslim extremists or the Mexican cartels that routinely kill here in the US while Bush sticks his head up Israel''s back side?

[donbl1]

I guess Paneta can do the budget over at CIA........

Pretty weak intelligence team being put together.

But, that is what Clinton did, too.

[powmadeak47]

This guy is supposed to protect us while Ocrapa and Hillary sell us out to the ''poor downtrodden'' Israels? h ah ah ah a good luck Leon

[cbsblogger]

Is Feinstein pxssed because he isn''t a neocon Zionist? To her and others that becomes the most important qualification of all. It''s time we have leadership for America instead lackeys for Israel.

[promaclaura]

ballpen1

The picture is bad. I like your post because you gave support on why you think it''s a good choice. Although, I''m still not behind your philosophy as I''d like the CIA Director to hit the ground running on "intelligence" not "budgeting". Maybe someone in the reverse of this selection, a lot of intelligence experience with a budgeting background in comparison to a lot of budgeting experience with a smidgen of intelligence experience.

[kansas1946]

When dirty bombs and beheadings come to America, thanks to Obama the Incompetent, then Americans will pine for the days of the Bush Presidency.


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Posted by CBSisPravda1 at 08:05 PM : Jan 05, 2009
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Well, I am not too sure about the Panetta appointment, but there is nothing that could make me "pine for the days of the Bush presidency."