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Feinstein slams Obama CIA head pick
Feinstein slams Obama CIA head pick
Sen. Dianne Feinstein believes the CIA is best-served by having an intelligence professional in charge. (CNN) –- Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Senate’s incoming Intelligence committee chair, slammed President-elect Barack Obama’s choice of Leon Panetta as director of the CIA Monday. “I was not informed about the selection of Leon Panetta to be the CIA Director. I know [...]
Dianne Feinstein Not Too Pleased With Panetta Pick
washingtonindependent.com — Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat who’s about to take the reins as chairwoman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, doesn’t appear to be too happy with Leon Panetta’s prospective appointment to head the CIA. ... (more) Dianne Feinstein Not Too Pleased With Panetta Pick
Even more on the Panetta pick
firstread.msnbc.msn.com — From NBC's Andrea MitchellNBC News has learned that Senate Democrats -- including Dianne Feinstein and Jay Rockefeller, who are the incoming and outgoing Intelligence chairmen -- have privately recommended a career CIA officer to head the ... (more) Even more on the Panetta pick
Not Even the Clintons Would Have Tried This
Not Even the Clintons Would Have Tried This
commentarymagazine.com — President-elect Obama has made his first completely incomprehensible appointment: Leon Panetta for CIA Director. No, I’m serious. Clinton OMB Director and Chief of Staff to head a key intelligence agency. One can refer to him as an ... (more) Not Even the Clintons Would Have Tried This
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Panetta, Obama, and the Senate
The Corner on National Review Online — ... ] On Panetta in addition to opinions in The Corner, there is the ever-so-slightly more important opinion of the new chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein: I was not informed about the selection of Leon Panetta to be the CIA Director. 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. Ouch. It is interesting that Obama would settle on a CIA director without even giving a heads-up to the Intelligence ...

Why I Respect My (Democratic) Senior Senator
GayPatriot — ... If you want to know why I respect my state’s senior Senator, Dianne Feinstein, while regularly disagreeing with her on any number of issues, just take a gander at this headline:  Feinstein slams Obama CIA head pick.  This responsible Democrat has taken issue with the president-elect of her own party for tapping a political hack to head the CIA. ...

Obama Snubs Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein
Tennessee Guerilla Women — So Obama chose Leon Panetta to head the CIA and then he forgot to consult with, or bother to mention it to Dianne Feinstein, the incoming Chairwoman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence! Senator Feinstein read about it in the New York Times. The sweetie is pissed: “I was not informed about the selection of Leon Panetta to be the CIA Director. I know nothing about this, other than what I’ve read,” Feinstein said in a statement. “My position has consistently been that I believe the Agency is best-served by ...

Leon Panetta as CIA Director
Outside The Beltway | OTB — ... Dianne Feinstein, the incoming chair of the Senate intel committee and a liberal Democrat, is less than sold. ...

Diane Feinstein: Leon Panetta Terrible Pick
Pirate's Cove — You have to respect the fact that Diane is facing reality, unlike so many leading Democrats, and, interestingly, CNN goes with a word in a headline one rarely sees in relation to a Democrat: “slams” Feinstein slams Obama CIA head pick Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Senate’s incoming Intelligence committee chair, slammed President-elect Barack Obama’s choice of Leon Panetta as director of the CIA Monday. “I was not informed about the selection of Leon Panetta to ...

Diane Feinstein: Leon Panetta Terrible Pick
Stop The ACLU — You have to respect the fact that Diane is facing reality, unlike so many leading Democrats, and, interestingly, CNN goes with a word in a headline one rarely sees in relation to a Democrat: “slams” Feinstein slams Obama CIA head pick Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Senate’s incoming Intelligence committee chair, slammed President-elect Barack Obama’s choice of Leon Panetta as director of the CIA Monday. “I was not informed about the selection of Leon Panetta to be the CIA Director. I know nothing about this, other than what I’ve read,” Feinstein said in a statement. “My position ...

Obama Selects Inexperienced Candidate For CIA Chief
Perfunction — ... You know, why not? (h/t: memeorandum for the Panetta story)

The New Inquistion
N/A — ... about him.  Of course Dianne Feinstein wants a regular experienced CIA guy in charge.  Someone who is part of the current network.  Just like she is.  An enabler of all the poor criminal policy on interrogation.  (And domestic spying too.) ...

How Intelligent a Choice?
The Opinionator — In yesterday’s roundup of reactions to the Leon-Panetta-to-C.I.A. decision, the Opinionator filed before we heard from a voice a bit more influential than those of us in pajamas: “Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Senate’s incoming Intelligence committee chair, slammed President-elect Barack Obama’s choice of Leon Panetta as director of the CIA Monday,” reports CNN. Feinstein’s complaint: “I was not informed about the selection of Leon Panetta to be the CIA Director. I know nothing about this, other than what I’ve read. My position has consistently been that I believe the Agency is ...

Panetta, the Bushes and Spying
The Moderate Voice — ... For those who have been fueling an uproar over the proposed new Director’s lack of experience in the spook profession, the naming of the CIA’s head office may offer some perspective. ...

Panetta? Why not?
The Reaction — ... I think the intelligence community is right to be concerned. The question is, after all, just how political is he, just how close to Obama? What is needed at the CIA is integrity and independence, not an extension of the West Wing. Still, like the three mentioned above, I take comfort in the fact that his selection has shaken and stirred the Republican-enabling (and torture-enabling) Democratic intelligence leadership on Capitol Hill, notably Senators Dianne "fratricide" Feinstein and Jay Rockefeller. Sullivan: ...

Paul Jenkins: Obama's Big Tent Bursting at the Seams
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com — ... rating: it's kind of hard to dissent too strongly. At most you throw a tiff here and a tiff there, Dianne Feinstein-style, but really you try your best to toe the line. Sooner or later, though, Obama will be less popular and, at that point, he will be dealing with a party that is very large and very diverse, and whose many voices will want to be heard, especially at election time. ...

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Feinstein not told about CIA pick
firstread.msnbc.msn.com 1/6/2009 — From NBC's Domenico MontanaroIt appears President-elect Obama forgot to tell the incoming chairwoman of the Senate intelligence committee about Leon Panetta as his choice to head up the Central Intelligence Agency. Here's the statement from Sen. ...
Feinstein says she supports Panetta for CIA (AP)
news.yahoo.com 1/7/2009 — AP - Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the incoming chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, says she intends to support President-elect Barack Obama's choice for CIA chief, Leon Panetta.
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tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com 1/7/2009 — Via AP, we see that incoming Senate intelligence chairman Dianne Feinstein is now supportive of Leon Panetta's nomination to head the CIA. Seems that Panetta called Feinstein last night and she is "confident he'd surround himself with good ...
Panetta Choice as CIA Chief Draws Democrats’ Concerns (Update2)
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Panetta too inexperienced for CIA?
swamppolitics.com 1/7/2009 — by Frank James Reports that President-elect Barack Obama intends to make Leon Panetta director of the Central Intelligence Agency not only surprised some key Capitol Hill Democrats but left them questioning the former congressman and Clinton ...
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sfgate.com 1/7/2009 — Feinstein - the new chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who will oversee Panetta's confirmation hearings - raised eyebrows when she expressed surprisingly sharp disapproval of Panetta as nominee for CIA chief on Monday. She said that "the ...
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Panetta, Blair land top intel posts (Politico)Yahoo! News: Politics News 1/5/2009
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Officials: Panetta to be tapped for CIA directorCNN.com - Politics 1/5/2009
Leon Panetta, chief of staff in President Clinton's White House, will be President-elect Barack Obama's choice to be director of the CIA, two Democratic officials told CNN on Monday.
Officials: Panetta Picked to Run CIATIME.com Top Politics Stories 1/5/2009
Two Democratic officials say President-elect Barack Obama has chosen former Clinton White House chief of staff Leon Panetta to run the CIA
Hamilton praises PanettaFirst Read 1/5/2009
From NBC's Abby Livingston Washington veteran Rep. Lee Hamilton said that his former Iraq Study Group colleague, Leon Panetta , will be a "superb" leader of the Central Intelligence Agency.    Hamilton, a Democrat, spent 34 years in ...
Obama picks former Clinton aide Panetta for CIAReuters: Politics 1/6/2009
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama has chosen former White House chief of staff Leon Panetta to lead the CIA, which has been widely criticized for harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects, Democratic officials said on Monday.  ...