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PANETTA TO CIA.
Somewhat surprisingly, Obama has named Leon Panetta, Bill Clinton's former chief of staff, as director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Panetta has no particular background in intelligence, but deep experience in the executive branch. Moira Whelan argues that this will be a crucial asset to the CIA. "[Panetta] knows how brains work inside the West Wing because he was there as White House Chief of Staff, and therefore will know how to provide information that gets attention in the way it should...this will give the IC a big advantage in terms of getting their point of view across in the Oval." Panetta is also an uncompromising opponent of torture. Last August he took to the Washington Monthly to write:
According to the latest polls, two-thirds of the American public believes that torturing suspected terrorists to gain important information is justified in some circumstances. How did we transform from champions of human dignity and individual rights into a nation of armchair torturers? One word: fear.
Fear is blinding, hateful, and vengeful. It makes the end justify the means. And why not? If torture can stop the next terrorist attack, the next suicide bomber, then what's wrong with a little waterboarding or electric shock?
The simple answer is the rule of law...We cannot simply suspend these beliefs in the name of national security. Those who support torture may believe that we can abuse captives in certain select circumstances and still be true to our values. But that is a false compromise. We either believe in the dignity of the individual, the rule of law, and the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, or we don't. There is no middle ground.
We cannot and we must not use torture under any circumstances. We are better than that.
It's hard to say what Panetta will do as head of the CIA. But we can say what he won't do. And maybe, for now, that's improvement enough.
COMMENTS (8)
I'm really curious to hear how this appointment is viewed by career CIA people.
Historically, hasn't the head spook had at least some prior experience in intelligence?
Posted by: TW Andrews | January 5, 2009 4:22 PM
Most, but not all, have. Some of the outsiders (John McCone, GHW Bush) have been well received and considered successful inside the building, others (Stansfield Turner) have been considered in over their head boat anchors. (The same is true of some of the insiders ...)
If Panetta displays the kind of skill he's shown in other assignments he has an excellent chance of establishing a solid relationship with the career people allowing him to be an effective leader.
Posted by: spot check billy | January 5, 2009 4:39 PM
There have been several CIA directors with no particular background in intelligence, the current president's father being an obvious example. William Casey was another. James Schlesinger.
Posted by: Herschel | January 5, 2009 4:40 PM
Has Panetta ever talked about what to do about the torture we have just committed? What do we do about the people who committed it? What about revealing the extent of torture used and the CIA's involvement in it all?
Even people against the principle of torture may differ on whether to clean the house or maintain the institution.
Posted by: anon | January 5, 2009 4:56 PM
I think you're missing the relevant experience here -- before he was Clinton's CoS, he was Clinton's OMB Director. Before that, he was chairman of the House budget committee. In other words, the guy knows his way around a federal appropriation.
You know how they say that if you want to find out what the CIA is really up to, follow the money? Yeah.
(It also doesn't hurt that he'll be able to do battle with Hillary's #2 at State, Jack Lew, also a former OMB director. The Obama admin is riddled with budget guys!)
Posted by: Dan Munz | January 5, 2009 5:03 PM
Panetta has lots of experience, but he's gotten mushy of late. My take is that he'll be steam-rollered internally.
Curious that this announcement was made without naming his boss to be (National Intelligence Director). Why would Leon take this post without knowing who his boss will be? (Assuming that he wasn't told because he hasn't been chosen).
Obama is going to run out of Clintonites pretty soon. I guess most of that is unevitable, but we need some surprises in key posts (Change!).
Posted by: JimPortlandOR | January 5, 2009 6:12 PM
I was ambivalent about Panetta as CIA Director until Feinstein and Rockefeller objected to him.
Recommendations don't come much higher than that.
Posted by: Brautigan | January 5, 2009 9:56 PM
I'm getting tired of people telling me how good this appointee is or what that appointee will do. I haven't believed any of that crap since 2001 and neither should you. No one knows how anyone is going to act in a crisis and we'll be lucky if a getaway flight to Nebraska is the least of the damage done.
Posted by: Ric | January 6, 2009 4:26 PM