A "profanity-laced screaming match"

[varmint]

you think parf is bad? try working at the whitehouse.



Obama White House v. CIA; Panetta Threatened to Quit
Tensions Lead to CIA Director's "Screaming Match" at the White House
By MATTHEW COLE, RICHARD ESPOSITO and BRIAN ROSS
August 24, 2009

A "profanity-laced screaming match" at the White House involving CIA Director Leon Panetta, and the expected release today of another damning internal investigation, has administration officials worrying about the direction of its newly-appoint intelligence team, current and former senior intelligence officials tell ABC News.com.

Amid reports that Panetta had threatened to quit just seven months after taking over at the spy agency, other insiders tell ABCNews.com that senior White House staff members are already discussing a possible shake-up of top national security officials.

"You can expect a larger than normal turnover in the next year," a senior adviser to Obama on intelligence matters told ABCNews.com.

Since 9/11, the CIA has had five directors or acting directors.

A White House spokesperson, Denis McDonough, said reports that Panetta had threatened to quit and that the White House was seeking a replacement were "inaccurate."

According to intelligence officials, Panetta erupted in a tirade last month during a meeting with a senior White House staff member. Panetta was reportedly upset over plans by Attorney General Eric Holder to open a criminal investigation of allegations that CIA officers broke the law in carrying out certain interrogation techniques that President Obama has termed "torture."


http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=8398902

[sammyg2]

Panetta has allot of nerve, getting all upset just because Obama plans to throw him under the bus in order to cover for pelosi.
If I were in Panetta's shoes I'll tell that commie where to stick the job.

[Rick Lee]

Panetta is the best man in this admin. and the only adult with anything more than partisan politics at heart. He is 110% correct in his outrage. However, I hope he can stay on the job and guide the other idiots in the admin. away from pushing our entire intel. community over a cliff. You could not pay me anything to work for CIA now that there's non-stop trash talk about its people's work. Being a recruiter for CIA employees is about to become one of the hardest jobs in the country.

[m21sniper]

Rick, bro, what are you talking about?

Panetta is a fking spy and a traitor.

[Rick Lee]

What's wrong with Panetta? I'm not saying any CA Dem. is my hero or first choice for the job of DCI. But between telling Nancy Pelosi to STFU and trying to keep Obama's henchmen from totally destroying the agency, I'd say he's the one admin. guy we need to get behind. You can't possibly think the CIA is gonna be better off if/when Panetta gets canned.

[m21sniper]

Correct me if im wrong, but didnt panetta get caught red handed smuggling top secret documents out of his office in his socks?

[island911]

+1 to Rick Lee

[island911]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

Correct me if im wrong, but didnt panetta get caught red handed smuggling top secret documents out of his office in his socks?

Sandy Burger

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by island911

+1 to Rick Lee

I'm with you, but he is the best of a bad lot.

[m21sniper]

OK, i stand corrected.

Leon Panetta is the ex clinton transportation secretary right?

[legion]

Who could have seen this coming?

One fortunate thing about Chicago politicians is they bring a bunch of like-minded people together intent on accomplishing something, and it quickly descends into chaos as each "general" tries to assert their power over the others and take credit. Eventually, the "generals" become reluctant to help each other as they perpetually fear double cross and/or theft of power/control. They begin to concentrate on sabotaging each other in hopes that it will clear the way for their own agenda, but that day never comes.

Witness the Pelosi/Panetta skirmish as an indication of things to come. Obama is not a leader, he is a figurehead. He doesn't know how to negotiate infighting or resolve conflicts, so he just hangs back and watches things unfold. He leaves his "czars" to fight with his cabinet members over control, who are fighting with department heads and Congress.

[island911]

Originally Posted by legion

Who could have seen this coming?

Without a doubt, you've been nailing these Chicago tactics.

[sammyg2]

Panetta Letter to CIA Staff on Release of Interrogation Report
CIA Director Leon Panetta sent the following note to the agency's workforce Monday on the release of a report on interrogation practices.
FOXNews.com
Monday, August 24, 2009

Message from the Director: Release of Material on Past Detention Practices

Today, as part of a number of Freedom of Information Act cases, the government is responding to court orders to release more documents related to the Agency's past detention and interrogation of foreign terrorists. The CIA materials include the 2004 report from our Office of Inspector General and two papers-one from 2004 and the other from 2005-that discuss the value of intelligence acquired from high-level detainees. The complete package is hundreds of pages long. The declassification process, a mandatory part of the proceedings, was conducted in accord with established FOIA guidelines.

This is in many ways an old story. The outlines of prior interrogation practices, and many of the details, are public already. The use of enhanced interrogation techniques, begun when our country was responding to the horrors of September 11th, ended in January. For the CIA now, the challenge is not the battles of yesterday, but those of today and tomorrow. It is there that we must work to enhance the safety of our country. That is the job the American people want us to do, and that is my responsibility as the current Director of the CIA.

My emphasis on the future comes with a clear recognition that our Agency takes seriously proper accountability for the past. As the intelligence service of a democracy, that's an important part of who we are. When it comes to past detention and interrogation practices, here are some facts to bear in mind on that point:

· The CIA itself commissioned the Inspector General's review. The report, prepared five years ago, noted both the effectiveness of the interrogation program and concerns about how it had been run early on. Several Agency components, including the Office of General Counsel and the Directorate of Operations, disagreed with some of the findings and conclusions.

· The CIA referred allegations of abuse to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution. This Agency made no excuses for behavior, however rare, that went beyond the formal guidelines on counterterrorism. The Department of Justice has had the complete IG report since 2004. Its career prosecutors have examined that document-and other incidents from Iraq and Afghanistan-for legal accountability. They worked carefully and thoroughly, sometimes taking years to decide if prosecution was warranted or not. In one case, the Department obtained a criminal conviction of a CIA contractor. In other instances, after Justice chose not to pursue action in court, the Agency took disciplinary steps of its own.

· The CIA provided the complete, unredacted IG report to the Congress. It was made available to the leadership of the Congressional intelligence committees in 2004 and to the full committees in 2006. All of the material in the document has been subject to Congressional oversight and reviewed for legal accountability.

As Director in 2009, my primary interest-when it comes to a program that no longer exists-is to stand up for those officers who did what their country asked and who followed the legal guidance they were given. That is the President's position, too. The CIA was aggressive over the years in seeking new opinions from the Department of Justice as the legal landscape changed. The Agency sought and received multiple written assurances that its methods were lawful. The CIA has a strong record in terms of following legal guidance and informing the Department of Justice of potentially illegal conduct.

I make no judgments on the accuracy of the 2004 IG report or the various views expressed about it. Nor am I eager to enter the debate, already politicized, over the ultimate utility of the Agency's past detention and interrogation effort. But this much is clear: The CIA obtained intelligence from high-value detainees when inside information on al-Qa'ida was in short supply. Whether this was the only way to obtain that information will remain a legitimate area of dispute, with Americans holding a range of views on the methods used. The CIA requested and received legal guidance and referred allegations of abuse to the Department of Justice. President Obama has established new policies for interrogation.

The CIA must also keep its focus on the primary responsibility of protecting the country. America is a nation at war. This Agency plays a decisive role in helping the United States meet the full range of security threats and opportunities overseas. That starts with the continuing fight against al-Qa'ida and its sympathizers. There, alongside all its other contributions, the CIA is helping our government chart a new way forward on interrogation, one in keeping with the President's Executive Order of January 22nd. You, the men and women of this great institution, do the hard work and take the tough risks that intelligence and espionage demand.

I am very proud of what you do, here and abroad, to protect the United States. Your skill, courage, commitment, and focus on mission make the CIA indispensable to the nation. It is a privilege to serve with you.

Leon E. Panetta

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

OK, i stand corrected.

Leon Panetta is the ex clinton transportation secretary right?

Chief of Staff

[m21sniper]

OK, i just wanted to make sure i got that right, that conservatives are now rooting for a life long leftist tool.

[MotoSook]

Now Obamination is creating a new group within tHe FBI. Probably one he has control of. Could this be the start of something sinister?

And Holder is invesgating the CIA.

[Rick Lee]

Snipe, take my fellow right-wing, gun-nut word for it - Panetta is one of the good guys. He just is. He was a Dem. Congressman from NorCal. before he became Clinton's Chief of Staff. Sandy Burglar is the criminal traitor you're thinking of. And John Deutsch was one of Clinton's DCI's, who also lost his security clearance and paid a fine for keeping classified info on his home computer. Furthermore, George Tenet was a Clinton holdover.

CIA is an agency is desperate need of reform, morale and a good leader who can stand up to the political shenanigans coming from the other side of the river. Panetta is the man for that job. Not my top choice, but he's not bad and he's doing it. If you see him retire (or get retired) early, be VERY worried.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by Soukus

Now Obamination is creating a new group within tHe FBI. Probably one he has control of. Could this be the start of something sinister?

And Holder is invesgating the CIA.

I wonder how much longer Mueller can last in that job. He's been in since 2001. It'd be a shame to see him replaced by an Obama appointee. Holder is a real POS.

[island911]

Originally Posted by Soukus

Now Obamination is creating a new group within tHe FBI. Probably one he has control of. Could this be the start of something sinister?

And Holder is invesgating the CIA.

Sinister is in doing away with our checks and balances. ...and yes, Obama sides with sinister.

[varmint]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

OK, i just wanted to make sure i got that right, that conservatives are now rooting for a life long leftist tool.

not rooting for him. not particularly a fan of the screw ups at the C.I.A for that matter. but having a good laugh at the whole mess.