Barack Obama Picks Former Bill Clinton Chief of Staff Leon Panetta to be CIA Director … So much for Experience

You know its a bad pick when both the LEFT and the RIGHT hate the choice …

President-elect Barack Obama picks former Clinton Chief of Staff Leon Panetta to be to be CIA Director? HUH? This is a beyond surprise and strange pick by the Chosen One. Why on earth would one chose an individual with “zero” experience in the intelligence field at a point and time when intelligence on our enemies is a prime issue in our countries security? We all know that Obama has little experience to be President, one would have hoped that he would have picked experienced individuals to safeguard our country. One has to continue to scratch their heads at the continued picking of former Clintonites as well. What happened to the change?

The surprise selection of Panetta, a former California congressman and chief of staff to President Clinton, would give Obama a CIA director with loyalty to the White House and an experienced managerial hand to steer the administration away from potential intelligence scandals.

But it runs the risk of putting an outsider at the helm of the CIA just as it seems to be regaining its footing after years of criticism over intelligence failures leading up to the Sept. 11 attacks and the Iraq war, and for aggressive interrogation tactics used in their aftermath.

If confirmed by the Senate, Panetta would be among the few directors in agency history with no experience at one of the nation’s spy services.

It appears that its not just the Right that has a problem with Obaam’s choice, California Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein blasted Barack Obama for his pick of Panetta. It is interesting that Barack Obama choose a CIA director without even giving a heads up to the Intelligence Committee chairman of his own party? Strange indeed.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Senate’s incoming Intelligence committee chair, slammed President-elect Barack Obama’s choice of Leon Panetta as director of the CIA Monday.

“I was not informed about the selection of Leon Panetta to be the CIA Director. I know nothing about this, other than what I’ve read,” Feinstein said in a statement. “My position has consistently been that I believe the Agency is best-served by having an intelligence professional in charge at this time.”