Dem senator unhappy with Obama CIA pick

Monday, January 5, 2009

Post a comment | E-mail this story | Print

Leon Panetta, who has a strong background in economics, was chief of staff for President Bill Clinton. AFP/Getty Images

From Ed Henry
CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Leon Panetta, chief of staff in President Bill Clinton's White House, will be President-elect Barack Obama's choice to be CIA director, two Democratic officials told CNN on Monday.

The officials also said that retired Adm. Dennis Blair, who formerly headed the U.S. Navy's Pacific Command, will be tapped as director of national intelligence.

Panetta, 70, has had a long political career, beginning in 1966 when he served as a legislative assistant to U.S. Sen. Thomas H. Kuchel. R-California.

He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1977, serving California's 16th (now 17th) District until Clinton appointed him to head the Office of Budget and Management in 1993. He was chief of staff from 1994 to 1997.

Panetta and his wife, Sylvia, founded and co-direct the Leon and Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy at California State University, which provides study opportunities for students there and at several other schools. He serves on several boards and committees, and lectures internationally on economics.

With a strong background in economics, Panetta has little hands-on experience in intelligence. But he is known as a strong manager with solid organizational skills.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who will be the new chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she had not been told in advance of Panetta's selection.

"My position has consistently been that I believe the agency is best served by having an intelligence professional in charge at this time," the California Democrat said.

Blair, 61, was a 1968 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and attended Oxford University in Britain as a Rhodes scholar at the same time as Clinton. Blair retired from the Navy in 2002.

He was the CIA's first associate director of military support and served on the National Security Council.

More Information

The transition from Bush to Obama

He has been sharply critical of U.S. policy in terms of strategic long-term planning.

"I am in awe of the sophisticated strategies that American politicians can devise and pursue over many years," he told a House panel in July. "They involve very public activities -- speeches, programs, alliances -- but also backroom deals, and stratagems, tactical flexibility but strategic constancy, investment in intellectual and organizational capabilities that will not pay off for years.

"I have yet to see these same brilliant politicians come up with similar strategies to advance the national interest when they come into national office. Our national strategies show little of the depth, brilliance and effectiveness of the domestic political strategies this country produces."

Blair also is known in Navy circles for once trying to water-ski behind the destroyer he skippered, the USS Cochrane.

Be in the Know with Bay News 9 Now!

Get news, weather, and traffic alerts delivered directly to your computer desktop, e-mail, or cell phone with Bay News 9 Now.

Subscribe for free!

Valentine's Day

Do you have a romantic Valentine's Day story? Or a funny one? What about a nightmarish one? We want to hear them! Send them to us and we may use them in a story on BayNews9.com.