Leon Panetta (Photo from Observer)From Yahoo News/AP:
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.
Panetta was director of the Office of Management and Budget and a longtime congressman from California.
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My Comment: No experience or any background in intelligence. During a time of war .... I do not think this appointment is a positive development. As Chief of Staff in the Clinton Presidency .... I can presume that he has experience in managing the internal affairs of an office, but as Director of the CIA .... hmmmm .... this is a job that requires a grasp on a number of military and intelligence details that do not encompass office administration and/or budget details. Leon Panetta does not have this background.
This appointment is a political one .... a political appointee who has been placed at the head of the CIA whose only real qualification for the job is loyalty to the President and to the Democratic Party. I can only imagine the undersecretaries and lower staff who are now going to be appointed.
President Obama wants a clear break from the past .... and this decision clearly accomplishes that. However .... I do not feel safe nor secure now. I can only hope that Leon Panetta can prove me wrong now.