At first blush, Panetta does indeed look like any-port-in-a-storm selection. Obama's apparent first choice was John Brennan, a former CIA official who had called for reforming the agency, but who had also worked on the Bush Administration's controversial interrogation programs and ran afoul of Obama's need to show he is making a sharp break from Bush on the torture issue.

The choice drew criticism from some surprising sources-like Obama's former Democratic Senate colleagues, Dianne Feinstein and Jay Rockefeller, who dourly noted Panetta's lack of background at the agency.

On Monday, Obama announced the appointment of a leading anti-torture lawyer, Dawn Johnsen, to head his Office of Legal Council, and later in the day word of Panetta's impending nomination leaked.

I didn't say anything about good, Sir. I just think torture accountability may be what the appointment is about(if it goes thru), and it may be why Sen. Feinstein is upset/left out of the loop.

He comes into the CIA with zero ties to torture policy, and thus doesn't have fear of what we may learn. (Sen. Feinstein/Sen. Rockefeller might though). Panetta has also come out strong against torture in the past. Obviously I'm just a schmuck who only knows what he reads and hears from the chattering pundit class, but that's the version I find myself leaning towards.

You're kinda sorta insinuating that an insider who was against torture cannot be found, but is that really the case?

Second, you use the words accountability but I think you mean reform. If accountability is desired, who runs the CIA has nothing to do with prosecution of past crimes or deeds. That can be done outside the agency by the justice department. I don't see the head of the CIA running through the corridors at Langley, looking for people who were "in on it".

You see, it would be this mat that you would put on the floor... and would have different CONCLUSIONS written on it that you could JUMP TO.

"We must adhere to our values as diligently as we protect our safety with no exceptions," Obama said.

Obama picked retired Adm. Dennis Blair as the national intelligence director and Leon Panetta to head the CIA.

He called them "public servants with unquestioned integrity, broad experience, and strong managers with the core pragmatism that we need in dangerous times."

Obama said he has given the men the clear charge to restore the United States' record on human rights.

"I was clear throughout this campaign and was clear throughout this transition that under my administration the United States does not torture. We will abide by the Geneva Conventions. We will uphold our highest ideals," he said.

Panetta was part of the Clinton administration that put additional barriers between the FBI, CIA, and other intelligence gathering agencies which made the uncovering of the 911 plot that much more difficult.

IS THIS WHERE I CAST MY VOTE FOR THE "SURCAM IS A DOUCHEBAG" OPTION?

But conservatives are right wing nutjobs.

Are not, don't get conservatives and republican mixed up.

Which one hates fags and thinks a cellular glob is gods blessing and should never be destroyed no matter what? - least not till they get older and decide to be Muslim

I didn't say anything about good, Sir. I just think torture accountability may be what the appointment is about(if it goes thru), and it may be why Sen. Feinstein is upset/left out of the loop.

IS THIS WHERE I CAST MY VOTE FOR THE "SURCAM IS A DOUCHEBAG" OPTION?

I want to thank the President for nominating me to serve in his Cabinet as Secretary of Commerce. This was a great honor, and I had felt that I could bring some views and ideas that would assist him in governing during this difficult time. I especially admire his willingness to reach across the aisle.

However, it has become apparent during this process that this will not work for me as I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census there are irresolvable conflicts for me. Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns. We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy.

Obviously the President requires a team that is fully supportive of all his initiatives.

I greatly admire President Obama and know our country will benefit from his leadership, but at this time I must withdraw my name from consideration for this position.

As we move forward, I expect there will be many issues and initiatives where I can and will work to assure the success of the President's proposals. This will certainly be a goal of mine.

Kathy and I also want to specifically thank Governor Lynch and Bonnie Newman for their friendship and assistance during this period. In addition we wish to thank all the people, especially in New Hampshire, who have been so kind and generous in their supportive comments.

As a further matter of clarification, nothing about the vetting process played any role in this decision. I will continue to represent the people of New Hampshire in the United States Senate.

Moving the census to a political body like the white house and out of the hands of commerce professionals is a bad idea. Go read up on gerrymandering, bov, and then come back and we'll talk.

Nobody said otherwise.

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/13/gregg-withdrawal-foreshadows-census-debate/

Moving the census to a political body like the white house and out of the hands of commerce professionals is a bad idea. Go read up on gerrymandering, bov, and then come back and we'll talk.

Or we could just stop doing the census.

I think Obama sneezed a few days ago.

Where's Joxur's link suggesting that it was a deliberate attempt to give the Republican Senators he was shaking hands with a cold in order to try and prevent them from voting?

President Obama's newly named Economic Recovery Advisory Board, the real-world Americans being asked to help solve the nation's financial crisis, includes a union executive who took the Fifth in a federal probe, a billionaire whose failed bank pioneered the subprime mortgage market, and deep-pocket donors who gave or gathered nearly $1.2 million for the president's campaign.

In all, 11 of the 16 board members donated or raised money for Democrats in the last election, according to a Washington Times review of campaign finance records. They include the president and chief operating officer of the American arm of UBS Investment Bank, the Swiss-based bank now at the center of a widening tax evasion probe by the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service.

An independent inspector general will look into the foreign financial ties of Chas W. Freeman Jr., the Obama administration's pick to serve as chairman of the group that prepares the U.S. intelligence community's most sensitive assessments, according to three congressional aides.

And it looks like we have the slogan for this administration:

"never let a good crisis go to waste"

That has been spouted by a few of his top people, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, and Sec. State Hillary Clinton among them.