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The Fall Guy -- CIA Director Leon Panetta getting sacked by his own team.
Wall Street Journal ^ | August 28, 2009 | KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL

Posted on 08/28/2009 7:44:30 AM PDT by La Lydia

In the game of political football that is today national security, spare a thought for CIA Director Leon Panetta. Quarterbacking is hard enough without getting sacked by your own team. President Barack Obama fought hard for the former California congressman during his uncertain February confirmation fight. That's about the last thing the president has done for his spy chief. Quite the opposite: If the latest flap over CIA interrogations shows anything, it's that Mr. Panetta has officially become the president's designated fall guy.

The title has been months in the making. Mr. Obama is contending with an angry left that's riled by his decisions to retain some Bush-era counterterrorism policies. He's facing Congressional liberals still baying for Bush blood. He's hired Attorney General Eric Holder, who is giving the term "ideological purity" new meaning. Mr. Obama's way to appease these bodies? Hang the CIA and Mr. Panetta out to dry.

That strategy first showed its face in April, when the president released Justice Department memos with details of the enhanced interrogation program...The president threw the left some red meat, refusing even Mr. Panetta's pleas to redact certain sensitive details...

Then came House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's full-frontal assault, claiming the agency had lied to her about waterboarding. This would have been an excellent time for some "vigorous" protection of the CIA, since agency documents flatly contradict the speaker...

This week the White House visited on the CIA director what ranking Senate Intelligence Committee member Kit Bond declared a "hat trick" of unpleasant moves. With his prior attempts to mollify his base on national security having failed— and those troops even more bitter about the flagging fortunes of the "public option" in ObamaCare—the president wheeled out Mr. Panetta for one more round...

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: bho44; bhocia; bhodoj; cia; ciaprobe; crowdedunderthebus; holder; nationalsecurity; panetta; underthebus
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Panetta under the bus.
1 posted on 08/28/2009 7:44:31 AM PDT by La Lydia
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To: La Lydia

“Panetta under the bus.”

Ya think? He was a designated target, all along.


2 posted on 08/28/2009 7:47:38 AM PDT by alloysteel (Never let an inanimate object know that you are in a hurry.)
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To: La Lydia

“That strategy first showed its face in April, when the president released Justice Department memos with details of the enhanced interrogation program...The president threw the left some red meat, refusing even Mr. Panetta’s pleas to redact certain sensitive details...”

Jeopardize national security to score political points. Irresponsible bastards.


3 posted on 08/28/2009 7:47:54 AM PDT by headstamp 2 (Question Marxist Authority)
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To: La Lydia

Who is going to be insane enough to become the new Director?


4 posted on 08/28/2009 7:48:03 AM PDT by Scotswife
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To: La Lydia

Even though the underside of that proverbia bus is crowded beyond capacity, eventually the jOker is going to throw someone there that’s got the goods on this whole putrid administration. And that someone is going to do a lot of irreparable damage on their way down.


5 posted on 08/28/2009 7:51:30 AM PDT by kromike
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To: Scotswife

Morton Halpern? Just a wild guess.


6 posted on 08/28/2009 7:52:29 AM PDT by Piranha (Obama “won” like Bernie Madoff attracted investors: by lying about his values, policy and plans.)
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To: alloysteel

Panetta is the white guy in this mess, and, as such, a natural target. Also, he is a Liberal, not a marxist, so that counts against him too in Obamaland.


7 posted on 08/28/2009 7:53:54 AM PDT by La Lydia
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To: La Lydia

I wish Obama had this same passionate hatred of terrorists as he does for our military and CIA.


8 posted on 08/28/2009 7:54:16 AM PDT by Always Right (Oxymoron: It must be true, I saw it on the News..)
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To: La Lydia

C’mon Panetta. Do what’s right for our country and expose Obama.


9 posted on 08/28/2009 7:56:11 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist ("It (Gov't) can't make you happier, healthier, wealthier, and wise" - Sarah Palin 07/26)
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To: La Lydia

No wonder I cannot turn my tube on and not find some advertisement for depression pills.


10 posted on 08/28/2009 7:56:13 AM PDT by Just mythoughts
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To: La Lydia

Obama wanted someone weak to run the CIA. With Panetta he found his man.


11 posted on 08/28/2009 7:59:09 AM PDT by BigBobber
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To: Scotswife

[Who is going to be insane enough to become the new Director?]

Obviously an insane liberal.


12 posted on 08/28/2009 8:00:19 AM PDT by FastCoyote (I am intolerant of the intolerable.)
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To: Scotswife
Who is going to be insane enough to become the new Director?

Watch for a new "Intelligence Czar" to be named.

13 posted on 08/28/2009 8:00:38 AM PDT by Alex Murphy (One man, alone! Betrayed by the country he loves, now its last hope in their final hour of need!)
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To: Always Right

and America


14 posted on 08/28/2009 8:00:45 AM PDT by himno hero
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To: headstamp 2
Jeopardize national security to score political points. Irresponsible bastards.

My concern is how many operatives will get their covers blown and their lives lost??

I'm talking about real covert operators, not phony Valerie Plame types.

15 posted on 08/28/2009 8:00:48 AM PDT by skully (How much evil can an evil monger monger; if an evil monger can monger evil??!!)
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To: La Lydia

We are surrounded by traitors, lead by Obama, that don’t give a damn about national security as long as they score political points and gain power over us all.


16 posted on 08/28/2009 8:02:00 AM PDT by Gator113 (It's about stupidity, stupid. IMPEACH HERE, IMPEACH NOW.)
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To: La Lydia

Poor Leon, he isn’t far left enough for the vicious Marxists


17 posted on 08/28/2009 8:02:34 AM PDT by GeronL (Liberalism: The gift that keeps on taking ... .. http://tyrannysentinel.blogspot.com)
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To: Scotswife
Who is going to be insane enough to become the new Director?

I'm guessing it will be a Black Panther.
18 posted on 08/28/2009 8:04:50 AM PDT by Sig Sauer P220 ("Peace" is that brief, glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading - Anonymous)
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To: Scotswife

19 posted on 08/28/2009 8:05:37 AM PDT by BenLurkin
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To: La Lydia
“Also, he is a Liberal, not a Marxist”

I think you nailed it with that comment. I used to lump all Libs together. Obama’s crowd are so far left of Libs it is easier to see the distinction.

You can be a Lib, be Pro-American, and just have a very different political view from Repubs/Conservatives. But this current crowd occupying the WH are just plain dangerous to our country and constitution.

20 posted on 08/28/2009 8:08:52 AM PDT by Max_850
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