Leon Panetta, White House Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton from 1994 to 1997, will be President-elect Barack Obama’s choice to be CIA director, according to Democratic officials on Monday.
This news has puzzled many politicians on both sides of the aisle due to Panetta’s lack of experience in national intelligence. Obama’s decision to name him baffled me too at first but I’ve heard Panetta is a smart guy with 43 years of experience in politics and great managerial skills so I’ll give him a chance before I pass judgement.
Panetta has yet to be officially nominated as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency but once he is, he’ll need to be confirmed by majority vote from the Senate before taking office. I’ll be surprised if Panetta (or any other Obama nominee for that matter) is not confirmed.
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