Transition: How Panetta's playing, Part 2
Posted: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 9:17 AM by Mark Murray
The Washington Post front-pages, “[C]urrent and former intelligence officials expressed sharp resentment over Obama's choice of Leon E. Panetta as CIA director and suggested that the agency suffers from incompetent leadership and low morale. ‘People who suggest morale is low don't have a clue about what's going on now,’ said CIA spokesman Mark Mansfield, citing recent personnel reforms under Director Michael V. Hayden.
On Capitol Hill, Democrats on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence were still stewing over Obama not consulting them on the choice before it was leaked Monday and continued to question Panetta's intelligence experience. Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. acknowledged that the transition team had made a "mistake" in not consulting or even notifying congressional leaders, and Obama telephoned committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and her predecessor, Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), yesterday to apologize.”
The Los Angeles Times learns more about folks who turned Obama down for the CIA post, and it notes that Obama's defense of Panetta seemed to tick off some inside the agency. "As the controversy unfolded Tuesday, there were new indications that Panetta was not Obama's first choice for the job. A number of candidates, including former U.S. counter-terrorism official Richard A. Clarke, declined the post. Seemingly caught off-guard by the fallout, Obama moved to vigorously defend the Panetta pick and started an intensive lobbying campaign to convince lawmakers that the onetime senior aide to President Clinton was a viable candidate to lead the CIA.”
“Obama sought to deflect the criticism by again calling attention to Bush administration intelligence programs that he plans to dismantle. But in seeking to soothe the controversy, Obama may have ruffled other feathers. Taking a swipe at previous directors, Obama said his team would work to ensure that U.S. spy agencies were ‘no longer geared toward telling the president what the president wants to hear.’ The remark appeared to be aimed mainly at former CIA Director George J. Tenet, infamous for telling the president that the U.S. had a ‘slam dunk’ case against Iraq's alleged illegal weapons programs. But the comment will probably rile the CIA rank and file.”
The New York Times: "’[T]ransition 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. Mr. Panetta’s lack of experience had drawn the sharpest criticism on Monday from Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat who is chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and whose career in California politics tracked closely with Mr. Panetta’s for years. After hearing directly from both Mr. Obama and Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Tuesday, Mrs. Feinstein seemed to soften her opposition slightly, but she did not indicate whether she would vote to confirm Mr. Panetta.”
“Aides to Mr. Obama conceded that they had mishandled the process, a significant stumble of his otherwise smooth transition. Mr. Biden said it had been a ‘mistake’ not to notify Mrs. Feinstein and others about the decision."
Does the fact that Feinstein so quickly backed down make the point of those that thought she was mostly angry about Panetta because she wasn't told in advance?
The Boston Globe editorial page throws its support to Panetta, calling him a "good choice." "In selecting Leon Panetta to be the next director of the CIA, President-elect Barack Obama has opted for sound judgment and political savvy over intelligence experience." More: "Panetta can be counted on to enforce the rule he set down last year, when he wrote that the United States 'must not use torture under any circumstances.'" But it also recommends that Panetta have "the right deputies under him" like Deputy CIA Director Stephen Kappes.
Hillary Clinton's confirmation hearing appears will be held Wednesday, Jan. 14th, Bloomberg and the AP report. Napolitano's (for Homeland Security) is tentatively scheduled for the 15th, it reports. Tim Geithner's (for Treasury) will also likely be next week, but that one is not set yet.
Here are some of the dates for the upcoming Senate confirmation hearings:
-- Thursday, Jan. 8, 10:00 am ET: HHS: Tom Daschle (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee)
-- Friday, Jan. 9, 9:30 am ET: Labor: Rep. Hilda Solis (HELP Committee)
-- Tuesday, Jan. 13, 10:00 am ET: Education: Arne Duncan (HELP Committee)
-- Tuesday, Jan. 13: Energy Secretary: Steven Chu (Energy and Natural Resources Committee)
-- Tuesday, Jan. 13, 10 a.m. ET: HUD: Shaun Donovan (Banking Committee)
-- Jan. 14: Veteran Affairs: Gen. Eric Shinseki (Veterans' Affairs Committee)
-- Jan. 14: State: Sen. Hillary Clinton (Foreign Relations Committee)
-- Jan. 15: Interior: Sen. Ken Salazar (Energy and Natural Resources Committee)
-- Jan. 15: Attorney General: Eric Holder (Judiciary Committee)
-- Jan. 15: Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano (Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee) (tentative)
Bloomberg News looks at Tim Kaine -- who is set to take over as DNC chair -- and his role in fundraising as the chairman of the Southern Governors' Association, "a group that raises money from tobacco, oil, energy and pharmaceutical companies in exchange for access to governors and other state officials… Participants in the group’s Corporate Affiliates Program also include mortgage lender Freddie Mac ... Kaine’s continuing involvement with the SGA as Democratic National Committee chief may raise questions for Obama, who targeted special interests during his campaign..."
