Posted on 05/26/2010 7:15:08 PM PDT by kristinn
On paper, it was a promotion. But Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon Panetta turned down a White House offer to become the next director of national intelligence anyway.
President Barack Obama last week fired his intelligence chief, Dennis Blair, without an immediate successor teed up. People familiar with the matter said the White House had expected Mr. Blair would stick around until a replacement was found. Mr Blair declined.
The struggle to find a successor has highlighted the challenges of filling an ill-defined job fraught with political tripwires.
Mr. Panetta is one of a number of people who have turned down the job as the White House has interviewed candidates to fill the post, according to officials familiar with the matter.
Former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel, co-chairman of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board, was another, they said.
A person familiar with Mr. Panetta's thinking said he "finds the job of CIA director rewarding and challenging, and that's where he plans to stay."
Mr. Hagel was traveling Wednesday and couldn't be reached for comment, an aide said.
"Anybody in their right mind would turn the job down," Missouri Sen. Kit Bond, the top Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, said Wednesday after speaking to National Security Adviser James Jones about the post. Mr. Bond said the post of director of national intelligence lacks authority and presidential support.
Congress established the job in 2004 as a result of the findings of the 9/11 Commission, which identified shortcomings in the coordination of the country's disparate spy agencies.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
That is because 0bama only wants to hear what he wants to hear, not the reality of a situation.
Lacks presidential support.
That says it all when it comes to national security.
IMPEACH NOW
Your comment makes me think of Rahm stabbing a table with a steak knife saying so-and-so-———dead! Not a pretty picture.
Obama thought he could FIRE the guy and he’d be happy to stay on until a replacement was found?
Not only has he never had a real job, he’s never had a BS job at a real company.
In November 2008, the voters decided that they wanted a turd. They got their turd.
And as a result, we are essentially back to a pre-911 mindset, or damned close to it.
Only those that want bus tracks across their body...
No one wants to work for this putz.
Says it all, doesn’t it?
Congress established the job in 2004 as a result of the findings of the 9/11 Commission, which identified shortcomings in the coordination of the country’s disparate spy agencies
That right there tells you this job is a cluster foxtrot.
Another positive proof the 9/11 Commission was a joke.
I wouldn’t want to be associated with a regime that makes us less safe and invites terrorist to attack us. The arrogant one will be looking for someone to throw under the bus when his idiocy causes a lot of Americans to die. The job should be for a scapegoat, not a director.
I'll do it. I got your tripwire right here...
I honestly thought that RINO Hagel would have taken the offer. I recall he was so enthralled by the aura of the Teleprompter Kid when he ran for President.
0bambi probably won’t name anybody if a couple of more turn him down. We won’t have any security left. Another step will be taken to destroy America.
With the passage of the next “Screw You” act aka Financial Reform, he will control 60% of the nation’s economy and will have unlimited power to spy on everyone. If Congress had read the bill, they would know that the bill renders them obsolete with taking away their budgetary powers. Goodbye elections; hello brownshirts.
What is it going to take before the revolution begins? Or are we a nation of cowards?
Deo vindice
Just another example of the latest f*** up by the most in-experienced President ever elected in the history of the planet.
While our economy burns, while 17,000,000+ people are out of work, while our health care system is set to plummet into a shambles due to "ObamaCare", our Financial Systems are under attack while Obama tries to seize control of up to 60% of our economy, while we're at major risk of a world-wide DEPRESSION, while we're on the brink of war in North Korea and Iran, and the largest environmental disaster in the history of the United States continues in the Gulf of Mexico, this IDIOT in the White House fires the head of National Security *and* seems to be pre-occupied with getting GAYS in the Military.
Yep, "Change" alright.
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