Someone leaked the news that Leon Panetta would be CIA director to a few publications; I think the New York Times and NBC News had it first.
The leak didn't come from the Obama campaign.
The plan was to announce Panetta later in the week.
It is common custom in Washington to notify committee chairs before the press. Sen. Dianne Feinstein's prerogatives as incoming chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence aren't to be trifled with. The Obama folks know this.
The leak gives the impression that the Obama team wanted to do an end-run around Feinstein. She never truly expected to be given a say in the choice; she just wanted the courtesy of knowing about it.
The U.S. Senate-- "Magic Negro"'s plans shot down Johnny Reb's Last Stand
KarenMrsLloydRichards
· 11 months ago
Haiku for the Obama Administration (#31):
The Lord has ordained! Kickbacks to Blagojevich: Rewards here on earth
grandma
· 11 months ago
Dumbya The Diplomat:
Question - "What can you do, personally, to press both sides, the Israelis and the Palestinians, to reach an agreement this year?"
The President - "I can press when there needs to be pressed; I can hold hands when there needs to be -- hold hands." - The White House, January 6th, 2008
Both Franken and Burris face problems. Although Franken was duly elected by the People, Coleman intends to appeal--let's hope that is over quickly. Burris was appointed by a governor under suspicion, but until impeached or convicted, still governor, and although the IL legislature intends to impeach him quickly, they have no access to phone records, so what will be the grounds?
Remember, people: all politics are local. Choose your elected officials carefully...and boy, do we need education on that one. I just assume politicians all have something to hide, whether in their business dealings or personal lives. Too many rise from local politics into higher office as their entitlement, something the public itself contributes to far too often, which turns it into a popularity contest, or name recognition, and not about the policies that directly affect them. When we put our fates into the hands of politicians and don't do our own homework, we lose big. Sadly, too many have neither the time nor inclination to investigate and we can no longer depend on the media to help us. So we get what we get (and deserve, far too often).
grandma
· 11 months ago
Senate recount: Franken's on top; Coleman to sue
The lawsuit that Coleman's attorneys said they would file today is called an election contest. It will prevent Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, under state law, from officially certifying Franken's election until the legal process has run its course.
No one knows how long that might take, but Coleman attorney Fritz Knaak said their case will pivot in part on constitutional issues, such as the equal protection clause, that typically are decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
MINNEAPOLIS - The morning after the Nov. 4 election, Norm Coleman stood before TV cameras, declared victory in Minnesota's U.S. Senate election and said that if he were opponent Al Franken he'd "step aside."
Reid and Pelosi had NO problem with Bush and Cheney being WAR CRIMINALS, and would not think of IMPEACHMENT proceedings, all within the rule of law, but suddenly have a huge problem seating Franken and Burris. Harry and Nancy, DEMOCRATS? I don't think so.
Matt
· 11 months ago
Goliath has bombed an elementary school in Gaza. I guess they will justify it any way they like. 555 killed, over 2000 injured, and still Israel claims they are defending themselves. The entire world is helpless, and cannot stop this massacre. What does Israel's financier and devoted ally, the US do? Our politicians have alreadly flown to Israel to offer their undying love and support for whatever Israel does; even killing innocent civilians.
No wonder Sharon bragged that Israel controls America!
Watch out Matt - you're hugging the "Jews aren't perfect" line - you'll end up on a database somewhere if you keep it up.
Gotta love Blowgobitch. Senate tells him they will not seat any of his appointments. Blowgobitch says "Kiss my arse you spineless whimps, you will do what I say and shut up and keep that tail between your legs."
US Dem Senators: Ok Gov'nor, sorry if we upset you, sometimes we need a little press coverage tho.
wearing out my F key
· 11 months ago
washington dc is israeli controlled territory.
KarenMrsLloydRichards
· 11 months ago
Youtube is a way for us to short-circuit the America news networks' and the Israeli government's blackout of Gaza's agony. Al-Jazeera in English is inside the occupied territory, broadcasting the reality of what is being done in our name. It's shattering stuff.
Indigo
· 11 months ago
These are like the days that kept Isaiah and Jeremiah and all the other ancient prophets busy. What a field day they would have had with Madoff! Behold how punishment arose from within!
CDS2
· 11 months ago
We're fighting two wars, terrorists are making plans to attack the USA, and a man with no intelligence experience will head the CIA? WOW !
KarenMrsLloydRichards
· 11 months ago
Not a problem--all career intel professionals are tainted thanks to BushCo's War on Terror. Obama does NOT want a Tenet or Hayden protege. Panetta has better cred than Bush 41 did when he was tapped to direct the CIA.
CDS2
· 11 months ago
Yeah, and look what happened under Bush 41...our intelligence was a disaster, leading to 9-11, and where we are today.
KarenMrsLloydRichards
· 11 months ago
Who in the upper ranks of the Agency is not complicit in torture, rendition, and illegal surveillance? Obama is right to shake-up the place with a seasoned outsider.
wild weasel
· 11 months ago
Israel has become the evil it condemns.
What do you expect from the Palestinians when you erect economic blockades that have squeezed the life out of their people over the years?
When a Palestinian farmer sees Israel destroy acres of olive trees that have been in his family for centuries, their cause is legitimate.
Israel continues to build settlements on Palestinian soil, and then erect barriers that prevent Palestinians from traveling about their own lands.
Is Israel looking for a "Final Solution" for its Palestinian neighbors? It is doing a good job.
Matt
· 11 months ago
W.Weasel you are absolutely right. Unfortunately, the media and the US government only gives us one side of the story, and the American people are ignorant about the Palestinian suffering. The Palestinians are dismissed as terrorists, and they are supposed to suffer.
Children and women are dying, morgues are full, and hospitals cannot cope. This is the way Israel defends itself. Are pro Israel supporters counting the deaths on both sides. Isn't it ironic that Israel's wrath kills more than those Hamas rockets. Israel cannot take it's anger against Hamas by killing innocent civilians. The US does not have the decency to condemn the slaughter of innocent civilians (I guess we do not have a great record, anyway), and the UN has no teeth. Israel is once again doing any damn thing it want.
wild weasel
· 11 months ago
Yep, we're arming Israel with fighter jets and other military hardware, and we condemn the Palestinians who throw rocks when they object to being penned in, having their lands occupied by "settlers," experiencing economic blockades that have taken the Palestinians to the stone age, prevented them from receiving health care and humanitarian aid, etc. etc. etc. etc. American is an co-conspirator in this criminal oppression of a people.
Hawkish Israelis have created this situation because their long-term goal is to ethnically cleanse the entire area, or subjugate the Palestinians in an Apartheid territory.
NBC News has confirmed that President-elect Barack Obama has chosen former Clinton White House chief of staff Leon Panetta to run the CIA.
Are former clinton supporters the only qualified people in the U.S. How about Richard Clark for this post. I guess Bill and Hil got to thank all their people after all.
Older_Wiser
· 11 months ago
Perhaps...Panetta, as B. Clinton's chief of staff, knows the CIA inside and out. He does NOT approve of torture and is on the record as saying that (check http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com) for an analysis of Obama's pick of Panetta as well.
Meanwhile, more of the world is condemning Israel's actions against Gaza and the slaughter of the innocents. Israel's plan seems to be if you can't starve them out, kill them all. I agree with WW's assessment.
lynchie
· 11 months ago
there should not be a single person in Obama's administration who approves of torture, moreover there should be no elected officials who approve either.
President-elect Barack Obama has reportedly settled on his choice to head the CIA: Former Rep. Leon Panetta, who served as White House chief of staff during Bill Clinton's administration.
Panetta will, if confirmed, come to the job without much in the way of intelligence experience.
As far as knowing the CIA inside out all news reports say he knows nothing. I don't mean to contradict you but this is to me an equal to Bush appointed Gonzalez, Meirs, Brown, Chertoff, and on an on. On the one one hand he keeps saying he wants competent people and then appoints someone with no knowledge who I would imagine will be as controllable as all his predecessors under Bush. The whole administration with ties to Bill and Hillary will be loyal to them not to Obama, seems like the number of people protecting his ass are less than protecting the interests of Bill and Hillary. Just saying.........
As far as the middle East. Both sides are guilty of using women and children by sheltering their deeds in the midst of the populace. Both sides are gutless and cowards for doing so. However, rocket attacks from the Palestinians hardly measures up to cluster bombs, guided missles, F-16's, ground attack etc. This is a tiny copy of what we did in Iraq. Yeah we beat the shit out of the Iraqi military, but we pissed off the populace because we took the war to the streets and you never win the hearts and minds by killing women and children. War simply has to be stopped, no taking sides just stopped. The so called democracies have raped and pillaged for centuries so expecting both sides in this conflict to act mature is laughable at best.
Indigo
· 11 months ago
Good morning. I understand that wars are inevitable in the course of human history. I don't understand why our government needs to encourage them.
Milli
· 11 months ago
Ann Coulter, Saint of Sleazy Morning Cocktail Dress Wearers, slithered out of her cave again this morning. I thought her jaw was wired shut.
For which "frontier" would the UN then patrol? The UN border of the 1940s, the pre-1967 ceasefire lines – in which a pre-annexed East Jerusalem belonged to the Arabs – or the post-1967 border in which Israel claimed "annexed" Jerusalem, or the massive walled "frontier" which now bites deeply into yet more Palestinian territory – illegally in international law? And would the UN also have to "observe" the equally illegal Jewish settlements built on Arab land within the West Bank?
Gaza sounds an easy option. The UN could place some international troops around Gaza. But it would only be a matter of time before they would be required around the West Bank. That would be a Palestinian dream – and, for those Israelis who wish to continue their expansion into Palestinian land – a nightmare. http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentato...
CDS2
· 11 months ago
It's hard for me to understand why anyone faults Israel. If Canada told the world that they would never rest until all US citizens were dead or driven from North America, and continually lobbed rockets and mortars into our cities in hope of killing civilians, we shouldn;t defend outselves?
Chit
· 11 months ago
Franken was not elected. He stole the seat. It's a disgrace to democracy, and I hope someone steps in to correct it. I'd love a Dem to have the seat, but not one who steals it.
All Comments
Feinstein needs to calm down:
From Ambinder:
05 Jan 2009 07:10 pm
Someone leaked the news that Leon Panetta would be CIA director to a few publications; I think the New York Times and NBC News had it first.
The leak didn't come from the Obama campaign.
The plan was to announce Panetta later in the week.
It is common custom in Washington to notify committee chairs before the press. Sen. Dianne Feinstein's prerogatives as incoming chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence aren't to be trifled with. The Obama folks know this.
The leak gives the impression that the Obama team wanted to do an end-run around Feinstein. She never truly expected to be given a say in the choice; she just wanted the courtesy of knowing about it.
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/20...
The U.S. Senate--
"Magic Negro"'s plans shot down
Johnny Reb's Last Stand
The Lord has ordained!
Kickbacks to Blagojevich:
Rewards here on earth
Question - "What can you do, personally, to press both sides, the Israelis and the Palestinians, to reach an agreement this year?"
The President - "I can press when there needs to be pressed; I can hold hands when there needs to be -- hold hands." - The White House, January 6th, 2008
http://www.mncampaignreport.com/diary/2413/t-mi...
Remember, people: all politics are local. Choose your elected officials carefully...and boy, do we need education on that one. I just assume politicians all have something to hide, whether in their business dealings or personal lives. Too many rise from local politics into higher office as their entitlement, something the public itself contributes to far too often, which turns it into a popularity contest, or name recognition, and not about the policies that directly affect them. When we put our fates into the hands of politicians and don't do our own homework, we lose big. Sadly, too many have neither the time nor inclination to investigate and we can no longer depend on the media to help us. So we get what we get (and deserve, far too often).
The lawsuit that Coleman's attorneys said they would file today is called an election contest. It will prevent Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, under state law, from officially certifying Franken's election until the legal process has run its course.
No one knows how long that might take, but Coleman attorney Fritz Knaak said their case will pivot in part on constitutional issues, such as the equal protection clause, that typically are decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/se...
http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/se...
Time for Norman to take his own advice......
555 killed, over 2000 injured, and still Israel claims they are defending themselves. The entire world is helpless, and cannot stop this massacre. What does Israel's financier and devoted ally, the US do?
Our politicians have alreadly flown to Israel to offer their undying love and support for whatever Israel does; even killing innocent civilians.
No wonder Sharon bragged that Israel controls America!
http://www.democracyforums.com/archive/index.ph...
Gotta love Blowgobitch. Senate tells him they will not seat any of his appointments. Blowgobitch says "Kiss my arse you spineless whimps, you will do what I say and shut up and keep that tail between your legs."
US Dem Senators: Ok Gov'nor, sorry if we upset you, sometimes we need a little press coverage tho.
What do you expect from the Palestinians when you erect economic blockades that have squeezed the life out of their people over the years?
When a Palestinian farmer sees Israel destroy acres of olive trees that have been in his family for centuries, their cause is legitimate.
Israel continues to build settlements on Palestinian soil, and then erect barriers that prevent Palestinians from traveling about their own lands.
Is Israel looking for a "Final Solution" for its Palestinian neighbors? It is doing a good job.
The Palestinians are dismissed as terrorists, and they are supposed to suffer.
Children and women are dying, morgues are full, and hospitals cannot cope. This is the way Israel
defends itself. Are pro Israel supporters counting the deaths on both sides. Isn't it ironic that Israel's wrath kills more than those Hamas rockets. Israel cannot take it's anger against Hamas by killing innocent civilians. The US does not have the decency to condemn the slaughter of innocent civilians (I guess we do not have a great record, anyway), and the UN has no teeth.
Israel is once again doing any damn thing it want.
Hawkish Israelis have created this situation because their long-term goal is to ethnically cleanse the entire area, or subjugate the Palestinians in an Apartheid territory.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-marzo...
Tribes of Jews, Palestinians, Christians and others have lived in this area for thousands of years.
Shame on Israel. Shame. Shame. Shame.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28508426/
NBC News has confirmed that President-elect Barack Obama has chosen former Clinton White House chief of staff Leon Panetta to run the CIA.
Are former clinton supporters the only qualified people in the U.S. How about Richard Clark for this post. I guess Bill and Hil got to thank all their people after all.
Meanwhile, more of the world is condemning Israel's actions against Gaza and the slaughter of the innocents. Israel's plan seems to be if you can't starve them out, kill them all. I agree with WW's assessment.
http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/01/...
President-elect Barack Obama has reportedly settled on his choice to head the CIA: Former Rep. Leon Panetta, who served as White House chief of staff during Bill Clinton's administration.
Panetta will, if confirmed, come to the job without much in the way of intelligence experience.
As far as knowing the CIA inside out all news reports say he knows nothing. I don't mean to contradict you but this is to me an equal to Bush appointed Gonzalez, Meirs, Brown, Chertoff, and on an on. On the one one hand he keeps saying he wants competent people and then appoints someone with no knowledge who I would imagine will be as controllable as all his predecessors under Bush. The whole administration with ties to Bill and Hillary will be loyal to them not to Obama, seems like the number of people protecting his ass are less than protecting the interests of Bill and Hillary. Just saying.........
As far as the middle East. Both sides are guilty of using women and children by sheltering their deeds in the midst of the populace. Both sides are gutless and cowards for doing so. However, rocket attacks from the Palestinians hardly measures up to cluster bombs, guided missles, F-16's, ground attack etc. This is a tiny copy of what we did in Iraq. Yeah we beat the shit out of the Iraqi military, but we pissed off the populace because we took the war to the streets and you never win the hearts and minds by killing women and children. War simply has to be stopped, no taking sides just stopped. The so called democracies have raped and pillaged for centuries so expecting both sides in this conflict to act mature is laughable at best.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087...
Gaza sounds an easy option. The UN could place some international troops around Gaza. But it would only be a matter of time before they would be required around the West Bank. That would be a Palestinian dream – and, for those Israelis who wish to continue their expansion into Palestinian land – a nightmare.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentato...
I think Burris is setting himself for failure for fighting a Blago appointment.
And coleman is a sore loser for fighting the Franken seat.