Obama’s CIA in turmoil; Panetta on the ledge; awaiting document dump
F-bomb alert!
ABC News reports profanity-laced screaming matches between CIA director Leon Panetta and the White House (via HA Headlines). You might say he’s a bit wee-weed up:
A “profanity-laced screaming match” at the White House involving CIA Director Leon Panetta, and the expected release today of another damning internal investigation, has administration officials worrying about the direction of its newly-appoint intelligence team, current and former senior intelligence officials tell ABC News.com.
Amid reports that Panetta had threatened to quit just seven months after taking over at the spy agency, other insiders tell ABCNews.com that senior White House staff members are already discussing a possible shake-up of top national security officials.
“You can expect a larger than normal turnover in the next year,” a senior adviser to Obama on intelligence matters told ABCNews.com.
…According to intelligence officials, Panetta erupted in a tirade last month during a meeting with a senior White House staff member. Panetta was reportedly upset over plans by Attorney General Eric Holder to open a criminal investigation of allegations that CIA officers broke the law in carrying out certain interrogation techniques that President Obama has termed “torture.”
See pp. 104-106 of Culture of Corruption.
More from ABCNews:
In addition to concerns about the CIA’s reputation and its legal exposure, other White House insiders say Panetta has been frustrated by what he perceives to be less of a role than he was promised in the administration’s intelligence structure. Panetta has reportedly chafed at reporting through the director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair, according to the senior adviser who said Blair is equally unhappy with Panetta. “Leon will be leaving,” predicted a former top U.S. intelligence official, citing the conflict with [DNI Dennis] Blair. The former official said Panetta is also “uncomfortable” with some of the operations being carried out by the CIA that he did not know about until he took the job.
Flashback: Panetta on torture in the Washington Monthly.
Once more: So much for the Greatest Transition in World History!
***
Left-wing blogs are buzzing about the White House release later today of an internal CIA report on torture that Panetta fought to limit:
With the Obama administration set later today to release an internal CIA report on torture, director Leon Panetta is preemptively defending his agency, claiming that CIA personnel simply followed the legal guidelines they were given.
In a message to agency employees — but in fact intended for the reporters to whom it was sent moments ago — Panetta called the information contained in the 2004 report “old news.” He pointed out that the CIA referred cases of abuse to DOJ for prosecution. And he noted: “The Agency sought and received multiple written assurances that its methods were lawful.”
And this from the left-wing WaPo “Plum Line” blog:
The CIA today will release the two documents Dick Cheney requested this spring that he claims will prove torture worked.
I’ve also confirmed that the CIA will release a declassified version of the chapter in the CIA Inspector General’s 2004 report that’s widely expected to conclude that there’s no proof torture foiled any attacks.
What this means: The debate over whether torture worked is going to flare up in a big way today — and there may be a strong blast of evidence knocking down Cheney’s claims.
A source familiar with the situation confirmed that the above documents will be released. Over the weekend, news reports said this was “expected.” The two documents Cheney asked for date to 2004 and 2005, one of which may detail what top Al Qaeda official Khalid Muhammad revealed under torture.
The 2004 CIA I.G. report’s chapter on effectiveness, meanwhile, was reported to conclude that “it is difficult to determine conclusively whether interrogations provided information critical to interdicting specific imminent attacks.” The release of the full chapter could tell us lots more along these lines.
The source said the released materials will have some redactions, but we’ll definitely know more by the end of today than we do right now. Gonna get interesting.
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Trackbacks
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Categories: Eric Holder, Gitmo, Torture
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Panetta’s concerned about the CIA’s reputation and legal exposure?
Maybe he shouldn’t have made crap up about the CIA to cover for Pelosi’s lies.
Panetta is nothing but Obama’s stooge and we should all pity the CIA and its loyal and courageous employees.
Aw, the house of Culture of Corruption cards start to crumble…
One of the CIA’s jobs is to destablise national leaders. And Obama is attacking them.
Sending out for popcorn….
I can’t believe Panetta was picked to head the CIA in the first place.
Can you really use the term “intelligence matters” in the same sentence with “Obama“?
…just asking
It’s very hard to conceal your hatred of an institution even if it is your institution (and has been since it was formed [no matter what revisionists say]. The fact is that if you weren’t in control of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, we’d be neck deep in congressional hearings that wouldn’t end until at least a dozen people were in jail and morale at the agency would be non-existent.
Turn 9/11 rememberance in to an Eco/ACORN feast day while neutering the CIA seems like a good anti-terrorists plan to me.
Mock executions during interrogation of mass murders are torture? What did they do, yell “Boo!”. Sounds like more Fraternity Hazing to me.
He had Washington cred and he’s a Clintonista, the best patsy LHO. He disapears— who gives a fudge?
‘JONATHAN ADLER’ – 2 days ago:
Deficit projections are once again on the rise as Obama’s approval rating falls. Health care reform is faltering, climate change legislation is stalled, and David Axlerod is under fire for his conflicts of interest. Seems like a good time to change the subject. Contents of the CIA inspector general’s report on harsh interrogation methods have already leaked, so it won’t do the trick. If I were a betting man, I’d expect something else to drop Monday or Tuesday.”
Correct link: http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/83927/
The moment I saw this, I immediately thought, “distraction.”
The administration has already announced that future high-level Al Qaeda detainees will be interrogated by White House administrators, not by the CIA.
Time for the CIA operatives to start looking for work.
The White House is infinitely more scary to Americans than it is to Jihadists anywhere.
30 pcs of silver said:
Absolutely — try to point the finger elsewhere and mis-direct is this Empty Suits motto – my big question, for all those White House toadies that come on this site: Hows About looking into the New Black Panthers?/ I will ask again – Hows About looking into the New Black Panthers?
FIFY
The left finally meets the real left.
So Panetta will go…
So who will be the stooge to follow in his footsteps. At least Panetta has the ‘nads to stand up and defend the people he is in charge of. Face it, though…Bill Colby he ain’t.
In the meanwhile, Holder and Obama will get their wish for a big distraction by starting the prosecution of those who “tortured” the detainees. Then the White House’s High Value Detainee Interrogation Group will begin dealing with subjects who engage in “man-caused” disasters. Here is an excerpt from one of their training sessions:
HVDIG: “Tell us what you know”.
Suspect: “NO! Allah Akbar!”
HVDIG: “Well, ok then…can I get you a new Quoran? Some soft pillows? How about some goathead soup?”
Suspect: “Soup would be nice.”
HVDIG: “Anything! Whatever you want…I can’t sleep if you think poorly of me. Can I show you the pictures of people who meant you harm before. I can give you a cell phone after I give their addresses and the names of those in their families”.
Remember, now, we voted for Change. And he’s going to change the CIA into a toothless tiger. Repeat after me, Democrats cannot be trusted with national security…exhibit No. 23,943.
Why don’t we all lobby for some New Black Panther Party poll watchers to be hired as interrogators at CIA? The Justice Department doesn’t want to prosecute them.
I look forward to seeing how effective EIT was, or wasn’t.
He’s defanged Hillary, never allowed Panneta to have any, the W.H. is being run by a bunch of non-elected non-confirmed rogues with ACORN and the new black panther party threatening American citizens – when is that sleeping giant going to wake up again?
***
The PETER PRINCIPLE (when an organization gets too big it becomes unable to do its job properly) is in full operation mode at our intelligence agencies. CIA stands for Central Intelligence Agency–it was set up after WW2 to co-ordinate all intelligence information and to get full benefits from the other groups in this necessary business. And to keep from duplicating work and wasting resources.
***
Now the DHS overrides the CIA and our own government is going to start STALIN ERA SHOW TRIALS for those who protected us against more 9/11/2001 attacks. And they will move terrorists here from GITMO so they can be released into our society by our own courts.
***
Sanity will set in after the first few Iranian or North Korean nukes go off in Washington DC, New York City, Chicago, etc. But our “intelligence agencies” will be doing after the fact police work trying to see what happened–instead of preventing the murder and mayhem.
***
HOPE (it doesn’t happen) AND CHANGE (duck and cover!) YOU CAN(‘t) BELIEVE IN!
***
John Bibb
***
Remember the thugs at that Philly polling place? Well, it will be reported that they have been hired by Prompterbama to take over the CIA.
Today is the day our CIA will become Obama’s version of the KGB. Let’s not worry about International Terrorists, we have too many terrorists right here in the USA and they have the gall to attend Townhall meetings. The CIA thugs will report directly to Rahmbo Emmanuel and the “terrorists” will be dealt with in secret prisons being built in Venezuela.
It might sound sarcastic today but it could very well become the truth as Obama rips open the CIA and the American’s that used to keep us safe!
If, God forbid, we get hit, this bunch deserves everthing that happens to them, during and after.
What is ironic is that they are sitting square in the middle of the bullseye.
Sucks to be them.
Adding the 58,178 exhibits written on The Wall.
I’m wondering what kind of backlash there would be if the entire CIA and FBI tendered their resignations at the same time.
Frankly I don’t know how anyone would want to work in an intelligence agency knowing that your own government my try you for doing what a previous government told you was legal.
Think of how much money we would have to pay for universal health care if we just quit trying to defend ourselves.
FBI, CIA, Military, Secret Service, DEA, Border Patrol etc. etc. Just dissolve all of them, pay ACORN a few billion to protect The One and spend the rest on health care.
Can we PLEASE stop using the term “wee-weed up”? It was stupid when Dear Leader said it, but repeating it over and over makes conservatives sound just as stupid. kthxbai!
This jackass congress had better do something about this guy lest he assumes their duties and puts them out of a job. It’s out of control folks, grab on to something solid and don’t let go.
I was thinking the exact same thing. And what better distraction than “the Evil One”? These folks are a joke, I swear.
Sarge
How about: The Odumbo administration is FUBAR. “Wee-weed up” sounds like playground talk at the local daycare.
It looks like the whole Obama administration, except the Attorney General, is in full scale CBA (cover Bush’s a$$). Recall that one of the first things Clinton did in office was to call off the Iran Contra investigations, another get out of jail free card to another former President Bush. Republicans should be grateful.
Yes.
Obama said, “Intelligence matters. But since I didn’t stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night, I have none.”
even panetta sees this potus won’t be good for his career resume. he’s out this week to save his k street possibilities
Panetta has legal authority to deny the President Classified information.
He should do so immediately.
It looks like the AG is starting his investigation into the CIA (that should really go over great with the CIA). It is obvious that this is an attempt to distract the public over his failing Obamacare.
Not to mention, I thought it was interesting that Obama is now planning on running interagations through the White House-based National Security Council.
Errah, Perhaps the Director got tired of reporting to some 23 year old Chicago flunkie who didn’t show enough respect for the ole Clinton retread. Maybe it’s time to appoint an Intelligence Czar over the CIA??!!
Taking a page from the D-rat playbook, this is old news. Let’s just move on. Oh wait… only D-rats get to decide when to move on.
Panetta is just another crapweasel. Worse than some; not as bad as others.
I couldn’t care less what happens to him. He should have known that crawling into bed with Obama was bad news. If not, he didn’t learn much in his many years in DC. He was a congressman from CA long before he became Bubba’s CofS.
Whatever happens, as long as there is fit hitting the shan around Zero, that’s fine with me.
The more chaos, the more time it will take to accomplish their agenda and in the meantime maybe enough people will wake up from their kool-aid binge and realize these parasites need to be run out of town on a rail.
Personally, I think all of this theater has been planned.
The socialists hate the CIA and want to get rid of it. Remember the Church Commission? Those lying SOBs decimated the CIA and it took years to get back to just half of what it was. Now, The B.O. will stop at nothing to gut the CIA again.
The yelling and the swearing was just staged to make it look like some people in this administration actually care about this country.
Scene 1 – White House – Behind Closed Doors:
Panetta: COME ON, MR. PRESIDENT! IF YOU F-ING DO THAT THEN ALL OF MY OFFICE(sounds of pages turning)ERS, WILL BE SH!T-OUT-OF-LUCK.
I hope the CIA starts dropping some “inconvenient truths” about the Obama crowd. Time to go bare knuckles with this group of A-holes.
Will the CIA ever be effective again if they are having to constantly watch their six?
Hey, blockhead…
For 212 years (Adams 1797 through Bush 2009), there has been a tradition that incoming administrations would not go back to actions taken by a preceding administrations and put them under review.
Obama is violating that tradition. You must be so proud.
This search and destroy mission to be carried out by Obama, Holder, et. al. strikes at the heart of our national security. Only a tool would be in support of it.
SpeakEasy
Amen, I was having the same thoughts. CIA is probably too liberal to let go with all they have, especially against
Congress who has approved every thing the CIA has done for the last ten years or so.
When you dance with the devil at midnight, don’t claim the moral highground when you wake up with him the next morning.
Panetta has played the political card his whole life and to think he’d ever stick up for intregrity now is beyond imagination, or his pay grade. He may quit to make room for someone far worse, but I’m guessing this whole thing was staged. Other than a diversion I’m trying to figure out why these memos are surfacing?
Don’t count on it.
The Donks defanged the CIA after Watergate, and the end result was Carter being completely surprised by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
If Obama does nothing (tacitly condones while denying any responsibility) and CIA or Bush Amin people are indicted by all minority DC Grand Juries to face trial by all minority and Democrat DC petite juries, and Obama’s former co-religionists successfully attack the United States before November 2012, he will be in a world of political help.
Obama is a gutless punk. SCOTUS will soon order in the ACLU’s favor, on more embarrassing abu Ghraib pictures, because Obama claims he doesn’t want them released, but won’t sign an executive order to classify them. Unclassified, SCOTUS will be correctly identifying the Freedom of Information Act in ordering a release.
Gutless punk. He wants more US troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan to please his MoveOn.org buddies, but wants to be able to claim he asked SCOTUS not to order them released.
Same with Holder and the special prosecutors and show trials. Obama will claim he didn’t want it, Holder will claim he was just following the law, but it is all a charade to please the hard-core Marxists that now control the Demonratic Party.
Actually, the first thing Clinton did was fire all Republican appointed US attornies. No fuss in the press, US attornies serve at the will of the President.
Unless the President is named Bush, of course, and he fires the slugs, some Clinton era holdovers, who won’t investigate matters like election fraud or are otherwise derelict in their duties.
Then it is a huge controversy.
Great, the God-forsaken terrorists will be celebrating in the streets again. Chalk up another victory for the bad guys, courtesy of the Chicago Thug and his Culture of Corruption cronies.
Obama has contributed two new phrases to the American lexicon. “Stink eye” and “wee wee’d up”. Now he doesn’t like it when it is directed at him….
I, for one, AM giving this guy the “stink eye”!!!
I am trying my best not to get wee wee’d up. Don’t like that chaffing….
Member-VRWC said (#40):
Two words: Ken Starr.
I believe you missed the point. Ken Starr investigated Whitewater and the Lewinsky scandel while Clinton was still in office, not after.
Who leaves first Leon Pannetta or Hillary Clinton? They lost the guy who is in charge of placements for positions in the Administration. He is now the ambassador to South Africa….well that’s one way to fill one of hundreds of empty positions
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-Announces-Intent-to-Nominate-Key-Administration-Posts-6-4-09/
I bet you wish you could do that one over. Right, Champ?
Seriously lgm, do you even read the posts, or history for that matter?
Focus, man!
Stay focused people, the plum is health care, don’t get off track. If the Fascists succeed in grabbing such a large part of the economy it will be exceedingly difficult to reverse the damage. This is not a poli-sci excercise, it is war. in war there is truly only one outcome, one lives, one dies.
This is a diversion that they know will drive any patriot crazy. The fascista’s want to dilute your energy with smaller battles while they try to win the war in one swoop. Attitude is Everything.
Stay focused.
A few more words…get someone to read them to you if you must:
Janet Reno…who appointed Starr.
Oh, and Iran-Contra which you mentioned earlier?
Lawrence Walsh, and he managed to drag on his hit parade for 7 YEARS!
Since you cited wackipedia the other day:
Lawrence Walsh
An excerpt:
…sometimes it is better to be silent and thought a fool than to open ones mouth (or keyboard) and remove all doubt.
Every post you make LGM you remove all doubt.