US News
Panetta promises "independent" intelligence as CIA director
Feb 19, 2009, 19:51 GMT
Washington - Leon Panetta pledged that US intelligence assessments will be independent of political influence after he was sworn in Thursday as head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Panetta, a former US congressman, said it was crucial that the CIA provide 'honest' reviews of the security threats facing the United States, in an implicit swipe at former president George W Bush's handling of intelligence during his eight years in office.
'I take this oath with the commitment ... that I will provide the very best intelligence, independent judgments not influenced by the politics of the situation, but truly real, objective information that can be presented to the president,' Panetta said at a ceremony in McLean, Virginia.
The Bush administration was criticized for seeking to influence the judgements of the CIA, especially in the run-up to the 2003 US- led invasion of Iraq.
The intelligence community's own credibility was undermined after weapons of mass destruction could not be found during the post- invasion searches of the country.
The CIA's influence has also been reduced by the creation of a director of national intelligence (DNI) in 2004, who will coordinate all US intelligence agencies.
Panetta, who was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden, said he intended to work closely with DNI head Dennis Blair and avoid some of the turf wars that have plagued the intelligence community in the past.
Penetta said he would ensure 'that we are not competing with one another, but working as a team to present the best intelligence to the president and others.'
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Older Talkback
page: 1
how's yor drug habit, EssPee? It seems like, from the tone of your posts, that you are doing more than usual, lately.
..was that 11 or 12 votes for that house stimulus package? Get back to us on that.
'...was that 11 or 12 votes for that house stimulus package? Get back to us on that.'
What's the matter, dickweed, too stoned to remember what you've said?
I don't file your crap in my memory. I file it down the toilet, where it belongs.
...that's what I thought: not a brain in your head. Now run along and pick up the peanuts they throw you.
'...that's what I thought: not a brain in your head. Now run along and pick up the peanuts they throw you.'
EssPee is talking to himself, again.
Seeing as how a normal person flushes SP's crap down the drain and SP calls said crap a brain, any guesses as to who really has crap for brains? One hint: It's SP. Go play with your (pea)nuts, boy.
Hey Idiots Stick, when you question someone's 'intelligence experience', it is much more meaningful when you actually spell 'experience' correctly. What an idiot! God you make it easy to pick you apart.
'...because of his extensive intelligence epxerience?'
...that really does not answer the question now, does it?
to reiterate the answer:'What's the matter, dickweed, too stoned to remember what you've said?
I don't file your crap in my memory. I file it down the toilet, where it belongs.'
Why don't you ask one of the worms dwelling in your brain pan?
get along
It is obvious to everyone, except his royal band of idiot neocon artists, that the past Bush administration was clearly not interested in accurate, let alone, independent intelligence. Belief, rather than fact, was the basis for decision making. GWB wanted to fabricate and manipulate intelligence, tailored to produce the non-factual, faith based results that he wanted to believe. This faulty 'intelligence' became the basis for attacking Iraq. After 9/11 GWB vowed to go after the terrorists in the countries that harbored them. This would certainly be Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, after making half-hearted efforts to destroy the terrorists, Bush made an unholy alliance with the military dictator of Pakistan, and gave up the pursuit. Bush then quickly tricked the nation into believing that making Iraq the scapegoat for 9/11 was necessary for our national security. Forget about osama bin laden, al qaeda, and real islamofascist terrorists who had attacked the US. Time to cook the 'intelligence' to contrive a reason change focus from Afghanistan and Pakistan, and now destroy Iraq, since his daddy didn't do it in 1991.
The neocons and the past Bush administration were not concerned that narco-terrorists have taken over large parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The neocons did not want to find osama bin laden and the al qaeda terrorists by following them to their safe havens in Pakistan, in the months after 9/11. The neocons did not want to kick ass with the terrorist band responsible for 9/11, because they were obsessed with regime change in Iraq instead. They actually paid off the military dictator in Pakistan over 10 billion dollars to protect the terrorists. Not only was Pakistan a military dictatorship, not a democracy, but it was a nation with real WMD, including nuclear bombs, and missle delivery systems. A nation that provided North Korea with nuclear bomb technology. A nation with a large lawless region where the terrorists operated freely. But the neocons claimed that we dare not violate the sanctity of a sovereign nation, Pakistan, while they advocated destroying Iraq.
Now, it could be said that whatever is done next is too little, too late. It is absurd to propose that the US should give any more money to the treacherous Pakistan military that created the Taliban, and protects the terrorists. If a democrat commander in chief had given up the chase for osama bin laden after 9/11, not gone after al qaeda in their safe havens in Pakistan, paid a dictator to hide the terrorists, and sent the troops to invade a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, the neocons would be calling it treason.
As it will be recorded in history, the neocons could never even admit that they made huge blunders, gave their commader in chief bad advice, caused the mission to be not accomplished, and then let their puppet president walk away from the mess with no accountability, as they all slithered into dark corners with no balls to take responsibility for the failure they created.
A good post.
I wonder which spy/spies, traitor/traitors, helped the Russians obtain nuclear technology.
Anyway, for such an inexperienced head of intelligence, it was quite smart of Mr. Panetta to pronounce that the agency will promote honest, independent judgments when it comes to the nature of the intelligence community. Let us see what entails from here on in, as if the average citizen will really be so informed.
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SP4: and we know this whyFeb 19th, 2009 - 21:18:50
...because of his extensive intelligence epxerience?
...because of his independent behavior for the last 30 years?
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