Obama Seeks to Mend Rift Over Panetta Pick [View All]

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: New York Times

President-elect Barack Obama and his top aides called lawmakers, deployed surrogates and offered public testimonials on Tuesday as they scrambled to mend a divide in Democratic ranks over the nomination of Leon E. Panetta, a former White House chief of staff, to take over the Central Intelligence Agency. Mr. Obama and his aides were trying to mend damage done on Monday when news of Mr. Panetta’s selection leaked before it had been shared with senior senators, and some Democrats responded with surprise and skepticism because Mr. Panetta lacks much intelligence experience.

Speaking for the first time publicly about the choice, Mr. Obama said Tuesday that Mr. Panetta and other members of the new administration would be “committed to breaking with some of the past practices” that had “tarnished the image” of the United States’ intelligence agencies. But transition officials said Mr. Obama also intended to keep the C.I.A’s No. 2 official, Stephen R. Kappes, a highly regarded former Marine officer and agency veteran. The transition officials spoke on condition of anonymity about the personnel move, a plan that could help defuse criticism inside the C.I.A. about Mr. Panetta’s own thin background in intelligence....

Aides to Mr. Obama conceded that they had mishandled the process, a significant stumble of his otherwise smooth transition....

Mr. Obama vigorously defended his selection on Tuesday, saying Mr. Panetta was “fully versed in international affairs, crisis management and had to evaluate intelligence consistently on a day-to-day basis” during his two and a half years as chief of staff to President Bill Clinton....

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In describing the rationale for turning to Mr. Panetta, aides to Mr. Obama said it was important to bring clarity to the division of responsibilities among American intelligence agencies, and in particular to end the current disputes between the offices of the C.I.A. director and the director of national intelligence. Because Mr. Panetta does not have a C.I.A. background, the aides said, he may be less likely to instinctively defend the C.I.A.’s turf against other spy agencies. They said Dennis Blair, the retired admiral who has been tapped to become director of national intelligence, had played a role in choosing Mr. Panetta, but would have the clear mandate from the White House to set intelligence policy across the 16 intelligence agencies....

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/us/politics/07cia.html?ref=todayspaper