Obama’a CIA Pick Irresponsible

Posted by Matthew Avitabile

The CIA has been headed by highly intelligent, motivated, and competent officials. George Bush Sr. and Robert Gates comes into mind. In order to run the CIA and coordinate actions with other agencies and branches of government is a daunting task requiring not only a sharp mind, but also experience.

Leon Panetta is smart, to be sure, but hardly competent for the job that he was fingered for. Instead, he is a good choice for Commerce Secretary, which the Obama team was originally looking at him for. His experience in the Senate would help him in this task, but leave him bewildered as head of the most powerful intelligence service in the world.

Panetta is a well-liked former Congressman who did a quiet job as Bill Clinton’s Chief of Staff. He knows how to take ahold of a pre-existing structure and keep it functioning. Unfortunately, if President Obama wants someone to reorganize the CIA, then he picked the wrong person.
Originally posted at Jumping in Pools.

Of course, the hard left is stating their support for Panetta for being “anti-torture.” Not only was torture at Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo barely supported by evidence (reprehensible as it was), Panetta didn’t have much to do with speaking out against it. In fact, if this is such an important prerequisite, why not have John McCain as head of the CIA?

And now even the Democrats are speaking out against Panetta. Diane Feinstein, who knows a little about foreign affairs has intimated that this choice is foolish and irresponsible. Obama won the Presidency… he needs to bring his A-game. Smiling and reading a teleprompter won’t get you through everything.

Choosing an individual who is a novice in international affairs is bushleagues (forgive the pun). As the New York Times reported:

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.

Hopefully not the first mistake of many.

Return to the Mobile Edition.