Ihave no real objection to Leon Panetta,, but Still think it is a very odd pick

[Perky]

Never ever saw it coming.

He is a consummate Washingtn insider and do well.... but cripes that is such an odd pick

[TwilightGardener]

1. I can't say it's a bad pick (yet), he seems smart and competent--but...odd...

[Mass]

2. It is strange, I agree, but somebody out of the intelligence world may be the only solution they

have found to make a clear cut from the * area. Panetta has a great background of manager, and there seems to be a need for better management.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_01/016311.php

Pretty much every official from within the CIA in recent years has been tainted in some way by Bush administration policies. Obama needed someone capable who had nothing to do with the last eight years, and Panetta fit the bill. At a minimum, he had the highest of security clearances during his tenure as White House chief of staff, and no doubt spent a lot of time in intelligence briefings and in the situation room, and he was a member of the 9/11 Commission, so it's not as if Panetta is going to the CIA with no background.

[yardwork]

5. That's my thought. The chimp family has controlled CIA for decades.

When was Poppy director - 1975? And then Poppy was VP under Reagan, president for four years, and now we've had eight years of chimpy. Clinton didn't interfere with CIA at all, and anyway who can forget images of Bill and Poppy riding around in golf carts together? Reminds me of Nixon and Bebe Rebozo.

The BFEE owns the CIA. Might take an outsider to clean house.

[John Q. Citizen]

7. Carter took on the CIA and got burned. But maybe now is the time to shake things up.

[RaleighNCDUer]

11. And Kennedy just THREATENED to take on the CIA and wound

up dead. Not that that was anything but coincidence, of course.

His first order of business should be to reinstate those who were purged by Bushco - those who actually said 'there are no WMDs', and got fired for it.

[yardwork]

14. Two Kennedys wound up dead and the surviving one had his career stopped at the senate.

But yes, a place to begin would be with CIA loyalists who attempted to oppose bushco. They're probably slightly less rotten than the rest.

[99th_Monkey]

13. With decades of CIA run by Bushies, wonder if a major "house cleaning" is in order?

either way, this whole CIA thing could easily get messy. If they DON'T house-clean, then they're
stuck having known enemies on "the inside" able to commit all manner of sabotage and subterfuge.

On the other hand, many believe what did JFK in was his plan to "fix" the CIA problem.

A sticky-wicket it is.

[yardwork]

15. The CIA always has and always will be a separate nation with its own rules.

There's only so much housecleaning possible with this monster, but at least Obama could clean out some of the worst.

[Captain Hilts]

3. It IS odd. But he's a VERY tough cookie. Might be a really good pick. Hard to say. nt

[Ichingcarpenter]

12. You know he's dealt with the CIA as COS under Clinton

So he does know the intelligence community and its not like
he ignorant.

The CIA and the NSA are two agencies that need terrible oversight.

[Captain Hilts]

17. Yes, I know. It's still kind of out of the blue. Might want to check your syntax on 2nd sentence.

[Skidmore]

4. My initial thought was

I sure hope we're done with ensuring the loyalty of the Clinton faction.

Right now, I'd settle for some new blood and new ideas. This is the first time I've criticized a choice, and it is not so much the man but the idea. We have a lot of good people out here who have come to the fore since the 1990s. I'd like to see some of them seated.

[bdamomma]

6. if not Panetta who else would have a been another choice.

[BrotherBuzz]

8. West Coast Offense

[Midwestern Democrat]

9. I have no real opinion either - it is rather odd. Panetta was always too

much of a deficit hawk for my taste, but as this position doesn't deal with budget or economics - I'm willing to keep an open mind.

[DevonRex]

10. He is tough and he was right about torture. And he won't be busy hiding

all the bodies. Maybe he'll even find out where some are buried. But at least he won't continue the torture tactics of the * admin.

[Thrill]

16. They needed someone who can go in there and clean up with a tough hand

I thought Chuck Hagel would be a good choice. But this fits the bill too

[Alexander]

18. It's a great pick. This tells me Obama is going to clean house at the CIA.

Maybe the Agency can be changed back to what it was under Truman.

[JayMusgrove]

20. Exactly!

There are some skeletons in them there closets we need to uncover.

There is a need to clean them out.

[democrat2thecore]

21. Well, Kennedy tried. Look what happened. Carter tried, they ruined his presidency

Seriously, that group of spooks don't react well to "reform."

edit:

"I want to shred the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter them to the four winds."

- President John F. Kennedy, according to Clark Clifford shortly after Bay of Pigs invasion.

[Alexander]

22. That's why reform has to come slowly, bit by bit,

like the frog in the boiling water analogy.

Little things first. Like not appointing a pro-torture director.

Next, he should clean house of all the top level Bush loyalists.

"I want to shred the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter them to the four winds."

Allen Dulles and his fellow Bonesman Prescott Bush didn't like that one bit.

Remember, whenever Nixon said "the Bay of Pigs thing" on the Watergate tapes, he was referring to the Kennedy assassination, according to Bob Haldeman.

I wonder why that is?

[Avalux]

19. He was on the receiving end of intelligence information once.

And he doesn't take crap from anyone. He's certainly not conventional and isn't an intelligence insider, but that might not be a bad thing.